A REPORT which prompted councillors in Prudhoe to decide to bring the town’s youth centre under community control has been released to the public.

Prudhoe Town Council and Prudhoe Community Partnership jointly funded a consultant to carry out a feasibility study into the East Centre building, on Front Street, after raising concerns about the future of the building under Northumberland County Council (NCC).

The study, carried out by Tony Dodds Consulting Ltd, started in September last year, and after the report was received by Prudhoe Town Council in January, members unanimously agreed to apply for a Community Asset Transfer, asking Northumberland County Council to transfer the East Centre to the town council.

The feasibility report was not immediately made available to the public, but at last week’s meeting of Prudhoe Town Council it was released into the public domain.

The report praises the location of the building and the wide-ranging and strong support from all sections of the local community for the continued presence of a youth service in Prudhoe.

It said: “The research done as part of this report has concluded that the EC (East Centre) is considered to be an integral and important part of the town and community.”

However the report added that it was “under-utilised and neglected”, and had the potential to provide a much wider range of benefits to the local community.

It added: “The EC buildings have suffered generally from a lack of investment by NCC. Indeed recent capital works, such as damp-proofing (£22,000), have been funded by donations achieved largely through the efforts of the youth service staff.”

The report concludes that the East Centre could continue to be a base for the youth service and wider community projects.

It said both Prudhoe Town Council and Prudhoe Community Partnership would meet NCC’s criteria for an asset transfer.

The town council has notified the county council of its plans. The full report is available on Prudhoe Town Council’s website.

County councillor Gordon Stewart, ward member for Prudhoe South, said: “The ‘East’ had been neglected for many years, but latterly Northumberland County Council has been working with the town council and the local community to find better ways to use and manage the building for the benefit of the whole community.”