A BURNTWOOD councillor says he has “real doubt” that a new health centre will be built in the town this year.
The facility has been earmarked for the former Burntwood Youth Centre site to replace the temporary health and wellbeing centre at the neighbouring leisure centre.
At a meeting of Lichfield District Council’s overview and scrutiny committee meeting in March 2023, the chief transformation officer of the Integrated Care Board told members that he was “confident” of an opening date in 2025.
But Cllr Steve Norman, Labour representative for Chase Terrace ward at Lichfield District Council, said he was concerned that residents would see a new facility operational this year.
“It is hard to square the chief transformation officer’s comments in March 2023 with the fact that it was only agreed last month to approve £1.2million of funding from planning obligations via Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) towards the £10.7million cost of the project.
“Is it the case that the money wasn’t there in the first place?
“I therefore asked the ICB in February if this CIL funding expected and included in the financial plan when the date of the opening in 2025 was shared with us?
“I received a reply last week saying ‘no degree of certainty could be attached to any funding being secured via CIL given that the council’s governance for that infrastructure fund dictates that it is a bidding process’.”
The new facility’s construction saw the closure of Burntwood Youth Centre three years ago to make way.
The move saw local groups lose their base, while a skatepark facility was also demolished.
This is why we need representatives on Staffordshire County Council who actually live in Burntwood and see the impact that a lack of attention from the Council has on the town. Which candidates for the Burntwood North and Burntwood South divisions live in the Town, use the Town’s doctors’ surgeries and walk or drive the Town’s roads every day?
Perhaps our new M P will be able to get something done, as our old M P said it was nothing to do with him, just passed the book