A YOUTH centre built as a gift to North Swindon people by Asda Wal-Mart could be mothballed before it even opens because Swindon Council may not be able to afford to run it.

The facility, which should be finished in January, will be located next to the superstore in a new district centre, alongside a health centre and library.

It is being provided under an agreement drawn up when planning permission was granted for the store last year.

But now questions are being asked about whether the money to equip and staff the youth centre can be found within the council's increasingly tight budget.

It has been estimated that to kit the centre out with computers and books and recruit one full-time and one part-time youth worker will cost £81,000.

Councillor Garry Perkins (Con, Dorcan), the council's lead member for education and community, the department that funds the youth service, said: "We've got to decide if we can afford to fully commit to this centre, give a partial commitment by half-staffing it, or whether we should mothball it for a while, which obviously nobody would want.

"It is very much up for debate because this is something that is not currently funded within our provisional budget for next year.

"But having pressurised Asda Wal-Mart to give us this facility, we don't really want to leave it empty.

"It is a problem this council has had for a while we build these great facilities through handouts and grants but nobody seems to think too hard about how much it will cost us to run and maintain them."

An internal review of Swindon youth services earlier this year showed it to have serious weaknesses.

It has major staffing problems, poor attendance at some youth centres and suffers a lack of direction and low morale. It is hoped these problems can be corrected ahead of a Government Ofsted inspection due next year.

Labour's spokesman on education and culture issues Coun Chris Eley (Walcot), said the inspection and budget pressures meant councillors were facing tough choices regarding the service.

"When you're making tough financial choices, sometimes the youth service doesn't get prioritised," he said. "But it would be pretty odd to build a youth centre and then not staff it."

Mike Evemy, the leader of the Liberal Democrat group, said he would be urging the council to do all it could to staff the centre.

"It is particularly important in a new area that young people are given a facility where they can get together and help build a community," he said. "It's true that schools do tend to get higher priority, but not spending on youth services can be a huge folly."

Asda Wal-Mart declined to comment, except to say that the company was not obliged to build the centre, but had chosen to do so as a gift to Swindon.

It is the latest in a series of debates about public services in the town that have arisen as councillors try to identify savings.

The Wroughton park and ride scheme was recently called into doubt as councillors questioned whether it could afford to fully fund the service when it opens next year.