Derelict hall talks win lifeline

Campaigners have insisted there is a public demand to use the hall

Campaigners who have been trying to save a Lincolnshire town hall from demolition are celebrating after it was given a lifeline.

Horncastle Town Hall has been the focus of debate since East Lindsey District Council said in February it could not longer afford to maintain it.

Now the authority has voted to begin negotiations to hand the 108-year-old building over to the town council.

It has been estimated the hall will cost about £300,000 to refurbish.

In addition, the district council estimated it would cost about £35,000 a year to run.

Profit promise

But some Horncastle residents had said the currently boarded-up building was a vital part of the town's heritage and character.

They felt so strongly that a working group put forward plans to run the building themselves but this was rejected.

Angela Kisby, who has been campaigning for the town hall to reopen, said the latest move was great news.

"We know that we still have all the people that used the town hall before and we have lots of people who want to use the town hall now.

"We know we will fill the hall, we know we will make a profit on it and we will prove that Horncastle can run its own town hall."

Now the district council has said it will discuss handing the structure - and its running costs - over to the town.