Council to sell "eyesore" children's centre in Winson Green

A former children's centre in Winson Green that a local councillor describes as an "eyesore" could be the next building Birmingham City Council sells to pay off its debts.

Summerfield Children's Centre on Cape Street is one of several sites the council wants to declare surplus to its requirements. They would then be sold at auction or by informal tender. A property meeting will consider them on Monday 19 October.

Part of a much bigger sale

The council has sold hundreds of properties and plots of land since September 2023, when it issued a section 114 notice and declared itself effectively bankrupt. Shops, industrial units, garages, car parks and a former pub have all gone.

The biggest single sale was the Wheels site at Bordesley Green, which went for £50m and is set to become the home of Birmingham City's new stadium.

The government-appointed commissioners overseeing the council's recovery say it is about halfway to its target of £750m from asset sales, money needed to cover the equal pay bill and earlier budget deficits. In a recent report they praised the progress made but warned that a lack of resources to make decisions quickly had slowed things down, and that slower sales had "real financial capital and revenue consequences".

"Anti-social behaviour and criminal activity"

Councillor Sarina Younas, Labour member for North Edgbaston, said the empty building was causing problems for neighbours.

"Unfortunately, the building attracts a significant amount of anti-social behaviour and criminal activity," she said. "It would be really positive to see the building restored to its former use, particularly as many local residents benefited from the centre when Sure Start was operating from there."

She said she knew of no active local group in the ward able to take the building on, but pointed to the recent transfer of Summerfield Community Centre, nearby, to community hands, which she said the ward was supporting as it gets up and running.

If a community use is not possible, she suggested the site could help ease parking pressure, which she called a significant issue for residents. She said she would have concerns about it being sold for housing, because that could add to long-standing pressures in the area, and asked whether the council would consider a community asset transfer.

A familiar argument

The sale of community buildings has been one of the most contested parts of the council's recovery. Councillor Robert Alden, the Conservative group leader, said earlier this year that playing fields and community centres had been sold that should have been saved for residents. "That's why they were left to the city often, to actually be used for that purpose," he said.

The council's financial problems have several causes, including the equal pay liability, poor budget setting, rising demand for services and the costly rollout of a new IT system. Labour councillors have also blamed funding cuts under the previous Conservative government.

The council has been run since May by a minority coalition of Liberal Democrats, Greens and independents.