A YOUTH and community centre in Brighouse looks set to be sold off as part of Council plans to review around 1,000 sites and 300 buildings it owns in the borough.

Calderdale Council’s cabinet is expected to make a decision next week on the first phase of its asset review programme.

And a key building in Brighouse could be one of the first to go.

Brighouse Youth and Community Centre on Aire Street has been earmarked for closure and subsequent disposal as part of a process to create hubs in each area.

Youth services run from the ageing building are expected to be relocated to other buildings in the town, such at Brighouse Civic Centre.

The Council owns a total of 16 buildings across the Brighouse, Rastrick and Hipperholme & Lightcliffe wards, six of which are classes as being primary facilities, which are used for core service delivery.

These are Brighouse Youth & Community Centre, Brighouse Civic Hall and libraries at Brighouse, Rastrick, Hipperholme and Bailiff Bridge.

Local councillor Howard Blagbrough (Con, Brighouse) told the Telegraph & Argus that the ageing youth centre building needed a lot of money spending on it to bring it up to scratch, and this move would seen the Civic Hall better utilised.

“The youth and community centre is an ancient building, which is still using a coal-fired boiler system. It is costing a lot of money to maintain and run, and the cost of refurbishing and modernising it is beyond what we as a Council can do.”

The review programme will consider all Council property although some buildings, such as schools, children’s centres and waste and recycling centres have been excluded from the programme.

It will not consider Council-owned land until completion of the current consultation on the Local Plan, which is preparing for future housing and economic development.

Calderdale Council’s cabinet member for regeneration and economic development, Cllr Barry Collins said: “The Council has acquired land and buildings over many years, as the way services are delivered in communities has developed and changed. The review programme is designed to assess each site carefully, to decide whether it is still an asset which we need to keep, possibly leading to further investment.

“Alternatively the programme may also identify properties which are no longer needed by the Council and these may be sold, providing an opportunity for local businesses or communities to invest in them and put them to good use.”

A report will be considered by the cabinet at the next meeting on Monday, September 4.