I am somewhat surprised at the comments made by 5 time mayor, Cllr Eric Harries, describing the possible selling of the town hall, as criminal.

Before moving to Pembrokeshire, I spent 13 years as a town councillor on Trowbridge Town Council. Trowbridge being the county town of Wiltshire. Population then, about 28,000. In the year that I served as Chairman of the Town Council (1994-95), we had an office in the Town Hall that was given to the town by Sir Roger Brown, a local benefactor, in 1888. Ownership had by then passed to the County Council and we paid rent to the County Council for the office and use of what was the Magistrates Court.

It was a privilege to sit in the Chief Magistrates chair, but the building had outlived its usefulness and we moved to an office over a shop, 2 minutes away. Those premises lasted my remaining time on the Council and they now their own offices and Chamber in the Civic Hall that they took over from the District Council and spent £4m upgrading the building to a modern Civic Centre.

So Cllr Harries, I would say that change is not a bad thing. If it is so vital that Milford Haven Town Council remains in the building as you wish to cling onto the past, no doubt you could negotiate to buy the building from Pembrokeshire County Council or they might be prepared to accept you paying all the building's running costs (currently £58,116). I read you currently pay £17,877 a year to lease your accommodation.

With the huge problems facing funding by Pembrokeshire County Council, it is only right that they review everything they do and it would be criminal if they didn't.

So I hope you can look at this as an opportunity, rather than a threat, and decide how Milford Haven Town Council moves forward with its accommodation for the future.

As we learn't in Trowbridge, whilst it was sad to leave the beautiful, historic Town Hall in the centre of town, it would have been criminal to spend so much public money on a building that was not best suited for current day needs. I am sure Milford Haven Council Tax payers would expect you to look at all options, rather than throwing lots of money at a building from 1939. We have to look to the future than get stuck in the past.

Andrew Lye

Johnston