IT could cost up to £80,000 to get a much-loved community centre back open and running.

Sunnyside Community Centre, in Moisant Street, Great Lever, closed down last September following vandalism to its roof and problems with the boiler.

The various groups that used the centre were asked to find alternative venues and to remove their equipment.

At the Harper Green area forum, a resident asked why the centre had closed.

Answering, councillor Sue Haworth re-iterated the council's reasons for closing it down and admitted it could be very costly to return it to former glories.

She said: "It had to be closed for health and safety reasons because the boiler was found to be problematic plus a hole had opened in the roof.

"I'm sorry to say that the origin of that was youth crime, people pulling tiles off the roof.

"Unsurprisingly it got closed and I know the community loved it and liked to rent it for community events.

"We had a change of government at Bolton Council and they made it clear that they would review anything to do with capital spending.

The long and short of it is, one of the senior officers is working on these matters and we've no idea whether it will get approved.

I don't think what is required could be achieved with less than £80,000, so finance is required to be found."

The centre, which also boasts a skateboard park and basketball court, was previously run by former University of Bolton students Claire Counsill, John Warburton and Joanne Pickering, who in March 2015, re-opened the Sunnyside Residents Association – a youth club that had been closed down for 12 years — which operated out of the centre.

Previous groups to have met at the site include ‘Passport to Success’, which delivered sessions on confidence building and assertiveness, and Bolton Young Persons Housing Scheme.

Cllr Haworth said she will raise the issue of the community centre in the town hall to try and secure funding from the council.

She added: "We will make a case for you at Bolton Council. I think they should because a lot of people live in the area. That's the case that we will make. I'm sorry it's still closed."