Victoria Park Community Centre has become a well established Community Hub, with a Medical Surgery, Chemist, Children’s Education Centre and the Community Centre, which hosts Homestart, Dance Classes, Youth Services, Luncheon Club, Diversity Voice and a Café; plus many more worthwhile activities that take place.

Soon Digital Inclusion will be introduced to make sure that local people can access the internet and receive support when seeking employment or searching for other career opportunities.

Like all Community Hubs, the Victoria Park Community Centre relies on different funding streams, in order to function for the community, such as 15K from the Bridgwater Town Council, to assist in the core funding necessary to operate.

The reduction of any funding stream can have a major impact on the viability of the Community Hub. At the moment the Medical Centre will be going through and anxious process on the funding it will receive for the future.

Fair funding, does not mean that every Council or Medical Centre should receive the same amount of funding per population, funding must also be based on need.

Many communities have different needs and the funding should be based on servicing those additional needs. The current review of the Victoria Medical Centre contract could “devastate” front-line care for a deprived community. For example the harmonization of funding for Medical Surgeries could see some surgeries losing up to £500,000 from next April, as some surgeries are funded on the basis of Personal Medical Services, to that of General Medical Services. This means that some surgeries, because of the personal service they provide to patients, receive a top-up of funding.

NHS England south west director of commissioning said: 'This is a national review of general practice funding across the country….(in the south west) general practices are currently being paid different amounts of funding for doing similar things, based on historic agreements.'

The impact of this harmonization will put some Medical Surgeries at risk and for some local residents, they will find it harder to register with a surgery and see a Doctor.

In terms of funding for Medical Surgeries, commissioners should redistribute funding back into areas of additional needs and deprivation, to protect the Health of the community.

For a Community Hub the loss of rental income from a Medical Surgery could lead to a domino effect where other services, such as the Chemist close. The eventual cumulative effect of income loss will eventually lead to a major risk, regarding the viability of the Community Hub and a Community Asset for local residents and people.

Cllr Mick Lerry, Victoria Ward, Leader of the Labour Group on SDC