Parish councils across Swindon can expect a letter from Euclid Street soon offering them the chance to take over some of the borough council’s buildings in community use.

Swindon Borough Council’s ruling Labour cabinet has agreed to a plan where buildings it no longer wants to spend money on maintaining, but which are still in use, will be offered to parish and town councils to run and maintain services.

The cabinet member for communities and joint working, Councillor Jim Grant told his colleagues: “This council doesn’t have any money and we have a number of community buildings we need to maintain and repair and we can’t manage it.

“We are now seeking to transfer those buildings to parish and town councils or the communities they serve.

“I believe the parish and town councils are the best places to use them. They are more likely to be able to get people along to fill a community centre than we are here in our Euclid Street ivory tower.”

The definition of community buildings in the plan is: “Buildings that have demonstrably been applied primarily to conferring social, economic or environmental benefits upon the residents of Swindon or an appropriate proportion of residents. “

It includes community centres and the like and the plan adds: “The council recognises the value and benefit of buildings used for community purposes but also has to address the funding pressures it faces.

“We to enable parish councils to have the opportunity to play a more direct role in operating the community buildings in their local area. This would both support the local control of the buildings and help to sustain their future use.”

While the plan says buildings will be assessed on an individual basis and offered to parish councils on either a short-term lease up to seven years or a longer one.

Cllr Grant referred to a question earlier in the meeting from councillor Julie Murphy of Highworth Town Council where she said a lease for only seven years would not be particularly enticing.

He said: “As Cllr Murphy said, a short lease is useless in trying to get funding from other sources, so we will work with the parish and town councils to make sure they get the leases they need.”

After the cabinet members voted unanimously to approve the plan, Cllr Grant said parish and town councils could expect a letter inviting them to take on the buildings the larger authority feels it can no longer maintain.

Swindon Borough Council says it is not able to make the list of the buildings which will be offered.