Peterborough to write its own social contract as Citizen Hub opens on Bridge Street

A new drop-in hub bringing jobs, skills, health and community support under one roof, opens on Friday 6 November, with  residents, employers and partners will have drafted what they want in their city.

On Friday 6 November, anyone in Peterborough can walk into The BRDG on Bridge Street, have a cup of tea and help answer one question: what do we owe each other in this city? By 5.45pm, their answers will be read aloud as the first draft of a social contract for Peterborough.

The day marks the opening of Citizen Hub Peterborough, a free drop-in hub for jobs, training, health and community support, co-hosted by Inspire Education Group (IEG). From 9th November the hub will be open Monday to Friday 10am - 4pm, with a collective of local partners offering the ongoing opportunity to help shape the services and support that is created at the Citizen hub, residents will shape what it offers longer term.

It is the third Citizen Hub in the UK, following St Neots and South Wimbledon, and the first in a city centre. In its first year, St Neots welcomed more than 10,000 visits, 150 job starts, 42 active volunteers and 90 qualifications a year. Four in ten visitors were out of work or economically inactive when they first came through the door.

The need for the city is clear. 11,100 people in Peterborough are out of work and want a job. The city’s claimant unemployment rate was 5.7% in July 2025, against 4.1% across England. Peterborough is the only part of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough above the England rate.

Lewis Vernum, founder of Project Abundance CIC, said: “I spent years learning the hard way that self-sufficiency is a myth without community. Peterborough has far more skill and goodwill than it gets credit for. Most of it goes untapped because people don't know where to plug in. Citizen Hub gives them that place: an open door on Bridge Street for anyone who wants to give something or needs something.”

A round-table conversation runs all day and anyone can pull up a chair to join in. Matt Hyde OBE, Chief Executive of Lloyds Bank Foundation for England and Wales, joins the conversation at 12.30pm. We also have a visit expected from Andrew Pakes MP, local employers, organisations and services on hand throughout the day.

Alex Hughes, founder and CEO of Citizen Hub Network, said: "Peterborough isn't short of support. Too much of what people need sits in separate buildings, behind separate forms and you have to already know where to look. Citizen Hub puts it in one place and asks people what they need before anyone decides for them. Come for ten minutes or stay all day. Belonging, taking part and giving something back, that's what being a citizen means to us."

Sarah Young, Chief Learning Officer at Inspire Education Group and a director of Citizen Hub Peterborough CIC, said: "Colleges belong at the heart of the communities they serve. Bringing Citizen Hub into The BRDG means anyone in Peterborough can walk in off Bridge Street and find support, opportunity and people who want them to do well. That matters most for young people who have stepped away from learning or work. We're proud to anchor the city's Citizen Hub."

Peterborough is part of a national plan: Citizen Hub Network aims to seed 120 hubs across the UK by 2031.

Entry is free. Families are welcome. Nobody needs to book, but registering helps the team plan: register on Eventbrite.