The roof of Welshpool Town Hall is in need of repairs after being damaged during one of the storms in early January.

At a meeting of Welshpool Town Council’s services and property committee, held on Wednesday, January 24, it was revealed that the town hall roof had sustained damage and was leaking water as a result.

Shortly after New Year’s it was discovered that the town hall was experiencing a leak, with water coming into the building via a gap in the roof caused by a tile that had been ripped away in the bad weather, in an incident which also saw some felt netting underneath tear.

Finance officer Vanessa Voysey said action had been taken to repair the roof, with quotes for repair expenses currently awaiting approval from the council’s insurance, though Ms Voysey added that the process was “going a bit slower than we’d like as it has been wet over the past week”.

In the meantime, buckets have been laid out in the town hall to catch the water coming through the gap in the roof, with operations manager Paul McGrath adding that the leak was severe enough that the buckets were being emptied “three of four times a day”.

Mr McGrath also explained that while the damage to the roof was not severe, the position of the affected area makes it difficult to repair.

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He said: “It’s not necessarily a major job but getting to the damaged part of the roof is an absolute nightmare. It will require a cherry picker and some scaffolding to get to the right spot. It’s just the nature of the building being the shape and design that it is.”

Councillors also discussed the possibility of considering long-term maintenance needs, such as whether the state of the roof should be a major consideration during the planned refurbishment of the town hall, with weather issues likely to become an increasingly common issue in light of climate change.

In 2019 the costs of renovating Welshpool Town Hall were estimated to be in the region of £3 million, which the council estimates will have risen in the years since. The large-scale redevelopment project is expected to be carried out over the course of several years.