Missed opportunities for Town Hall & Museum

10.04.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Wed 21st Oct 2009

Hitchin Town Hall

Despite widespread opposition from local residents, the Conservatives on North Herts District Council have given the go ahead to look at turning Hitchin Town Hall into a Museum.

Questions at a recent meeting revealed that the Council has no idea what would happen to the existing museum and might have to pay hundreds of thousands of pounds to the family that donated it. They have not investigated sharing space or facilities with the library and do not know what would happen to events and groups that currently use the Town Hall.

Cllr Paul Clark

Lib Dem Hitchin Councillor Paul Clark said, "Having done nothing about the museum or the Town Hall for years and missed opportunities to bring in money from outside, the Council has now decided that it is vital that a decision is made quickly, without knowing answers to the most important questions. They say that without conversion to a museum they cannot afford the £750,000 required to repair the Town Hall - but it was they who allowed it to fall into disrepair in the first place! "