A FORMER district council community office in Wellington is to be bought by town councillors to allow them to continue expanding the delivery of local services.

The town council has agreed the £130,000 purchase from Somerset Council of the former Squirrel Hotel, in Fore Street, after the unitary authority said it was no longer going to be used.

Town councillors currently lease the first floor of the grade two listed building from the unitary council with Wellington Museum and Citizens Advice taking up part of the ground floor.

The rest of the building was formerly a community office by for the old Taunton Deane Borough Council and its successor Somerset West and Taunton Council, but did not reopen after the Covid lockdowns.

Wellington mayor Cllr Marcus Barr said: “This is an important decision for many reasons.

“First, if the town council had not bought the building, Somerset Council would be selling it, meaning both the town council and the museum would lose their town centre location.

“For the museum in particular, that would have potentially threatened its future.

“Second, given the expanding role of the town council, we need more office space.

“Buying the building will give us that and more importantly, it will provide ground floor access for members of the community visiting our offices.

“At the moment we are not accessible to those with limited mobility.

“Third, our new reception area will give us the opportunity to use it flexibly, for example to promote local groups and their work, carry out consultations, and so on.”

Wellington Local History and Museum Society chairman Paddy Gray said: “We are absolutely delighted with this news. 

“Our current location is ideal and I am not sure that if we had to move out there is anywhere else in the town that would be suitable to house the museum.

“The fact that its future is now assured is a huge relief.”

Councillors have agreed to meet the purchase price with Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL), which is paid by housebuilders when they develop outside the town development boundary, meaning it will not impact council tax bills.

The town council will then apply to the Government’s Community Ownership Fund for money to carry out some necessary improvements to the building.

Earlier this month Wellington was runner-up in the National Association of Local Councils ‘town council of the year’ awards, where it was recognised for the work it has been doing to protect and improve the community for everybody.