MP asks government for civic centre funding

Helen Morgan said the centre was a "crucial community asset"

The MP for North Shropshire has asked the new government to help rescue a community building which was closed for safety reasons.

Whitchurch Civic Centre shut in September after a potentially unstable type of aerated concrete (RAAC) was found in the roof structure.

Shropshire Council asked the government for help in April after revealing rebuilding it could cost up to £7.6m and said the building might have to be demolished.

Liberal Democrat Helen Morgan, who was returned to parliament with an increased majority of 15,311, has written to the new Housing and Communities Secretary Angela Rayner to renew the call for funding.

In her letter, she described the centre as a "crucial community asset" and said without it, the town "currently has no community space or local services".

“It is vital that the civic centre in Whitchurch receives the necessary funding to re-open so that the community retains this vital asset," she concluded.

Ms Morgan said she would welcome a meeting with the government to discuss the issue.

Shropshire Council set up a working group to consider six options for the building, which range from replacing the roof to clearing the site for redevelopment.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.