Changes have been made to a legal document to allow four people to take over the trusteeship of Presteigne Memorial Hall from Powys County Council.

Last July, the Liberal Democrat/Labour cabinet agreed to hand over responsibility for the hall to a group to run it on behalf of the community. The services of a legal specialist in Charity Commission Law were also employed to “guide and support” the process.

At a meeting of Powys County Council’s Cabinet on Tuesday, December 10, senior councillors re-visited the hall’s transfer.

Cllr Beverley Baynham is the Powys county councillor for Presteigne and she supports of the move.

Joint leader of the Powys Independents, Cllr Baynham said: “There are four individuals named in the paper, but I can assure you there are other members that are in the group that can step in once the transfer is complete.’

“The hall has been closed for 18 months. There has been a huge amount of work and it would be remiss of me not to thank all those that have worked tirelessly to get us to this point,” said Cllr Baynham.

She said that a new fire system had been installed, and grant funding had been received to install LED lighting to make the hall “more compliant and energy efficient”.

Cllr Baynham said: “The hall does hold a very special place in the community and many people have been very passionate about it.

“We look forward to the time where we can throw the doors back open again in the new year.”

Head of legal service and monitoring officer, Clive Pinney explained why the changes were needed.

Mr Pinney said: “We’ve taken the opportunity to update the scheme to bring it more in line with arrangements for other charities in the UK.”

Council leader, Liberal Democrat Cllr James Gibson-Watt said: “I have fond memories of the memorial hall.

“Having been a parliamentary candidate many years ago, there was a very lively hustings that took place there and I thoroughly enjoyed it.”

Cabinet then voted to agree the changes and trusteeship transfer.

The new trustees are Sarah Chilman, Samantha Haden, Geraldine Fletcher, and Lynne Owens, who have all been appointed for a two-year term.

They now have the power to appoint other trustees to their committee.

The hall was constructed in the aftermath of the Second World War, and a charity trust was established in 1953 to manage its operation and upkeep.

In November 1983, Powys Council’s predecessor, Radnor District Council, became the official trustee of the hall, overseeing its administration.

In 2023, responsibility for the building was transferred between various council departments, prompting an inspection in March of that year.

The inspection revealed several safety concerns, which resulted in the hall’s immediate closure for necessary repairs.

During this time, discussions were held about transferring the trusteeship to a newly formed hall committee.

These talks led to a public meeting earlier this year, where the proposal received significant support from the local community.