City of Wolverhampton Council is offering local groups and organisations the opportunity to manage Portobello Community Centre.
The council-owned centre on Hill Road, Willenhall, has been vacant since the previous community association left in December 2023.
The council remains committed to exploring all options to ensure the building is retained for community use.
Expressions of interest are being invited to either take on the centre through a community asset transfer of the building or to lease it as a community association.
Interested parties are advised it is a big commitment to take on a community building and requires time, energy, people resources and finance. The council will therefore thoroughly assess the viability and sustainability of any proposal to ensure an organisation is able to deliver valuable services to the community.
The centre contains a large activities hall with a 75-person capacity, large lounge, playroom, meeting room, kitchen, storage, office space, and male/female/accessible WCs.
The deadline for expressions of interest is Saturday, May 31, 2025.
Councillor Paula Brookfield, Cabinet Member for Governance and Equalities, said: “The council recognises and supports the contribution that the voluntary and community sector brings to the vitality and wellbeing of the city.
“We are now able to offer Portobello Community Centre to a new community organisation, and I would urge people to come forward with their proposals or simply have a conversation with us about what is possible.
“We have numerous examples of community asset transfers in recent times that have had a positive impact on communities, and we are supportive of the work community associations do – both routes enable new and innovative means of local service delivery that bring benefits to our communities and contribute towards the council's aims and objectives.”
Anyone interested in taking on the centre or finding out more information should email asset.management@wolverhampton.gov.uk
