Figures obtained by Andover’s Lib Dem councillors indicate the decision to close the lower Guildhall and open a new community facility in Union Street has cost Test Valley over £200,000 and could cost even more.

I asked for a breakdown of costs at a recent council Scrutiny committee meeting. I also requested details of usage of both the Rendezvous and Guildhall and comparison of these figures with those previously seen before the closure of the lower Guildhall.

Running costs for the Rendezvous and Guildhall over the past year totalled £85,000 and a further £4,000 has been spent on maintenance of the Guildhall. Income from the two venues over the same period was less than £14,000. The council previously received just under £14,000 a year in rent from the two shops converted into the Rendezvous.

The total cost over the last year to council taxpayers is £89,000. A similar loss is expected next year. To this must be added the capital costs of £114,000 to set up the Rendezvous.

This does indicate the council were premature in closing the lower Guildhall before they had a lease signed by the new tenant. The only good news is that usage of the Rendezvous is increasing but, not by the previous users of the Guildhall. This has led to a substantial loss of income which we are unlikely to replace. We were told the lower Guildhall had to be let out as a restaurant because it was costing too much money to retain it as a community facility. And now we find even more money is being spent on the Rendezvous. In the current financial climate we must consider whether this is acceptable and review the situation again next year.