Four community hubs to open, bringing support closer to Swindon residents

The four hubs will be developed by Swindon Borough Council in partnership with residents, community organisations and public sector partners. Rather than a one-size-fits-all model, each hub will be co-designed with local communities to reflect local needs, priorities, and strengths.

Councillor Jim Grant, Swindon Borough Council's Cabinet Member for Communities and Partnerships, said:

“Our plans for community hubs are about making it easier for residents to get the help they need, close to home, in places they already know and trust.

“By bringing different organisations together in the heart of our communities, we want to make it simpler for people to drop in, have a conversation and get the right help at the right time.

“Over the next year we’ll be testing this approach in four community locations and listening carefully to what residents and partners tell us. What matters most is that these hubs work for local people, so we’ll keep learning, adapting and improving them together as we go.”

The hubs will bring together council services and, over time, support from health partners, voluntary and community organisations and other agencies. They will offer residents a welcoming, local place to get advice, guidance and support without needing to navigate multiple systems or repeat their story.

While the offer at each hub will be shaped locally, services are expected to include support such as:

• Housing and homelessness prevention advice
• Employment, skills and training support
• Youth and community services
• Health and wellbeing support
• Access to voluntary and community organisations
• Financial and welfare advice, including Citizens Advice Swindon

There is also potential for wider involvement from NHS teams, community health providers, schools and the police, with partners helping to shape how services are delivered together in each location.

The hubs form a key part of the Council’s long-term shift to a prevention-first approach. This means supporting residents earlier, reducing avoidable crisis situations and working in a more joined-up way across services, partners and communities.

Following analysis of local data and early conversations with communities and partners, four existing community locations have been identified to test and develop the hub model during 2026.

The hubs will be developed within the Council’s existing library network and other well-used community buildings, with libraries continuing to operate as valued community spaces alongside the new hub offer. The locations include:

• Park Library and Reuben George Centre, Park South, opening February 2026
• The Meadows, Penhill, opening March 2026
• Central Library, opening April 2026
• West Swindon Library, opening later in 2026

Around half of Swindon residents live within a 20-minute walk of one of these sites, all of which are well connected by public transport.

Each hub will start with an initial offer, but this will evolve over time through ongoing conversations with residents, community groups, colleagues and partners. Feedback and insight from each location will be used to refine how the hubs work.