INDEPENDENT community centres across Worcester could be put at risk without stable, long-term funding, warns a city councillor.
Speaking at the start of a recent policy and resources committee meeting, Coun Sarah Murray raised concerns about the future of centres such as Lyppard Hub, which she said deliver vital services to residents across the city despite
receiving minimal core funding.
Coun Murray, who is also a trustee of Lyppard Hub, told the committee: “Worcester’s independent community centres, like Lyppard, are at serious risk without long-term, stable funding. Lyppard isn’t part of Worcester Community Trust – it runs with minimal core support, and yet it delivers vital services across the city.”
Lyppard Hub supports a wide range of residents, providing youth clubs, dementia support, toddler groups, bereavement cafes and Warm Hub meals.
Coun Murray highlighted the scale of its impact, noting that 248 young people attended the youth club over just nine weeks this autumn, travelling from across Worcester – not just from Warndon Villages.
Coun Murray also referenced research from the Centre for Social Justice, which shows that boys without stable male role models are more likely to face exclusion, mental health challenges and risk-taking behaviour.
She continued: “We hear national promises about recruiting more youth workers but we also need to ask where they will work if we allow the spaces that support them to disappear.”
Urging councillors to consider the issue as budget discussions continue, Coun Murray said the loss of centres like Lyppard would have far-reaching consequences.
She explained: “Without centres like Lyppard, we don’t just lose youth clubs – we lose the glue that connects new mums, older people, the bereaved, those living with dementia and so many others. We lose safe spaces, support networks and prevention services.
She said that community hubs also host a wide variety of activities that improve wellbeing and reduce isolation.
She added: “From singing for health and martial arts to Rainbows groups and even belly dancing classes – the list is vast. These centres are at the heart of our communities, and we cannot afford to let them fail.”
