Welshpool Town Council has been awarded a £50,000 grant that will go towards renovating the Town Hall.

The grant, from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, Welshpool Town Council will be moving forward with plans to redevelop the Town Hall to improve its facilities.

The council confirmed that with the grant money confirmed, it has now started to advertise for a contractor who can carry out a consultation and a business development plan, with a selection process scheduled for late July.

The council hopes that work will begin in August with the aim of being completed by the end of the year.

At a meeting of the council’s Strategy, Policy and Development Committee, councillors welcomed the news.

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Cllr Richard Church said: “It’s very good news and very important news.

“It’s the biggest step forward yet in getting this building improved and made useful for the twenty first century.

"It’s a major redevelopment plan for this building which is, at the moment, terribly underused. I think it’s a very exciting step.”

The council received the grant from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, a branch of the UK Government’s Levelling Up Agenda which aims to deliver £2.6 billion of new funding for local investment by March 2025.

Cllr David France said: “It’s also welcome from a finance point of view. We can enjoy the benefits of a renovated town hall with fewer worries regarding the cost of carrying out that work.”

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This was echoed by Cllr Alison Davies, who added: “We are nowhere near spending the amount of money we’ve allocated for the fundraiser and have already raised £50,000. Things will definitely be happening and happening quite quickly."

A contractor will be chosen by a selection panel that includes Town Mayor Nick Howells, Deputy Mayor Geoffrey Lanagan, Cllr Alison Davies as chair of the Strategy, Policy and Development Committee, Town Clerk Ann Wilson and Cllr Phil Owen for his “expertise in dealing with matters of insurance”.

Cllr Phil Pritchard questioned whether additional councillors needed to contribute, but the council deemed Cllr Owen’s knowledge of the field to be a valuable asset in the decision making process.

Cllr France added: “We would hate to miss out on taking action or missing out on expertise knowledge that we could potentially be leaving out of the room by limiting who can weigh in on the decision.”