A call for a Pembrokeshire town hall, which has an exhibition on the last ever invasion of the UK mainland, to be the property of its town council rather than the county has been given the thumbs-up.
At the October 5 meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council’s Cabinet, members were asked to declare Fishguard Town Hall surplus to council requirements, approving the freehold transfer to Fishguard and Goodwick Town Council.
The call also included the county council leasing back the first floor of the building for the town’s library and the Last Invasion Tapestry gallery, at a cost of some £30,000 plus service charge and business rates costs.
The Market Square building currently houses the council-run library, which the town council makes an annual contribution of £14,500 towards, the town council itself, weekly indoor markets, a private tenant on the ground floor, and exhibition space for the Last Invasion Tapestry.
The tapestry recalls the last ever invasion of mainland Britain in 1797 by a French force, along with their eventual surrender; the invaders’ defeat helped by local heroine Jemima Nicholas.
A report for members presented by Joint Cabinet Member for Communities, Cllr Aaron Carey, said the potential transfer to the town council was mooted back in 2025.
The building’s net running costs and maintenance for 2026/27 is estimated at £101,080 excluding the operating costs of the library.
As part of the budget setting process a saving measure of £85,000 was asked from the library service leaving an approved budget for Fishguard Town Hall of £16,080.
The asset transfer proposal would see the town council become landlord to market tenants and licence holders, and includes the lease back arrangement for the first floor.
The report said: “The transfer will reduce the overall costs to PCC of approximately £56,000 pa with no ongoing running or maintenance costs of the main fabric of the building.
“The costs of running the library service will increase including the rent of £30,000, service charge based on actual costs (this year approximately £6,200 for 2026/27) and [business rates] circa £9,000, all of which will need to be transferred to the library budget to arrive at a net saving to the authority. For clarity, under the terms of the lease, library services are responsible for internal repairing only.
“The proposal would deliver financial savings for PCC and provide the town council with an asset for community use. The town council will have enhanced opportunities to access external grant funding for the development of a sustainable community asset and continuation of existing uses.”
However, it said that if the asset transfer is approved, it does not provide the anticipated budget saving of £85,000 approved for the 2026-27 county council budget, with there being a shortfall of £29,120; this would need to be identified by the facilities or libraries service.
Members agreed to back the building be declared surplus and the transfer is considered the best course of action for it, enabling officers to finalise negotiations with town council over the transfer.
