THE historic Brunner Guildhall building in Winsford could be handed back into the hands of the community, as it was intended when it was built in 1899.

The Grade II listed building in High Street, which has a long history in the town centred around community use, has been left mostly vacant since the Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) moved out at the beginning of the year.

Since the CAB moved out and left just the Red Cross using a small part of the building, Winsford Town Council has been left in charge of it.

A management committee was set up by the council to look into future use for the building and to try to bring new tenants.

Now, town mayor, Cllr Mike Kennedy, who chairs the Brunner Guildhall management committee, has suggested that forming a Trust for the Guildhall would be ‘the way forward’.

Cllr Kennedy said: “The way forward has been discussed at the Brunner Guildhall management meeting, which I chair, and as the town mayor, I’m now putting forward the suggestion of a way forward to the whole town council.

“This is obviously an important building for the whole community and it has an iconic past. This item in my view should and will become a top priority for the town council and for the people of Winsford.

“It’s a chance for the whole community to be involved in the future of the Brunner Guildhall.”

The council will be holding an extraordinary meeting, to which the public is urged to attend, to discuss creating the Trust.

Mark Bailey, Winsford Town Council clerk, said: “The Trust would be made of members of the town council and members of the community.

“So the town council would have some representation on it, but it would be wholly separate. It’s technically set up as a company.

“The main positive is that it would be able to access funding avenues that the town council cannot. The downside, if there is a downside, is that you have to be completely committed. Trustees will have to devote their time and energy to it.

“We see the Facebook pages and people are full of ideas, so this is a potential way of making those ideas come true.

“It moves the Guildhall back in a sense to how it was originally envisaged by Sir John Brunner back in 1899. The plaque says this is to be held in trust for the people of Winsford, so this is a way of giving it back to the community but it doesn’t come without its responsibility. It’s a big deal.”

The meeting will take place on Monday, October 2, at 6pm, at Wyvern House.