AN HISTORIC former school in the town centre is set to become a hub for key community groups under a £350,000 plan from Swindon Council.

Sanford House, in Sanford Street, was vacated by children’s services staff in December and the council has since been considering options for the future of the 130-year-old structure.

Now Cabinet has agreed to push ahead with plans to use it as an advice and information hub for adult health, wellbeing and social care, with several groups sharing skills and space in the building.

The facility would have a joint reception offering a “one-stop shop” for residents, who currently have to access services at various different offices.

All but one of the eight organisations hoping to move in already provide services to the council.

Swindon Council says the move would not only improve services and access to them, but also save it £25,000 a year from 2014/15, as the shared arrangements would cut the amount of grant funding needed for properties.

The project, which would require council investment of up to £350,000 to adapt the building, would also mean the authority could sell the current premises of Swindon CAB, in Faringdon Road. That would increase the funds available for a trust that helps poor families pay for school uniforms.

Coun Brian Mattock, cabinet member for health and adult social care, said: “This is all about working in a different way within the third sector. It’s all about enabling (these groups) to come together in one building so we can give residents one point of contact for several organisations.”

The council estimates about 120 permanent staff and 200 volunteers would be based at the hub, which will provide services for up to 9,000 people a year.

Cindy Matthews, a trustee of Swindon CAB, said housing the services together could help them to coordinate, and so provide better services for people that might otherwise fall through the cracks.

“The CAB do an amazing job, but they often have queues at the door and people give up,” she said.

James Moss, of VAS, said a central hub would help disabled people and those with poor access to transport to reach services. improve access to services. He said: “There are a lot of organisations and they’re all over Swindon where some people cannot reach.They cannot reach them because they have disability. And a lot of people we have come in rely on the bus services, and the bus services aren’t always the easiest to use.”