Council chips in to keep historic mansion open
COUNCIL leaders in Carmarthenshire have agreed to provide more funding for a Georgian tourist attraction in Llanelli.
The executive board decided to hand Llanelly House £60,000 for each of the next two years, matching the £60,000 provided in the most recent two financial years.
The decision was taken behind closed doors in a meeting last week.
Llanelly House, on Bridge Street, offers guided tours and has a bistro, although it remains closed in line with coronavirus restrictions.
The venue reopened eight years ago following a multi-million-pound restoration, but has required National Lottery and ongoing public sector funding since.
Figures published for Llanelly House Trust Ltd on the Charity Commission website said total gross income in the 12 months up to March 31, 2020, was just over £173,000, around £20,000 more than the previous
year.
Total expenditure was around £188,000, some £50,000 less than the previous
year.
A trustees’ report which accompanied its 2020 accounts, written as last
March’s lockdown swung into place, thanked staff for their commitment and enthusiasm.
“The diverse range of events and functions organised by the staff are helping to make the house a unique venue as well as a major player in revitalising the town centre,” said the report.
Funding had been secured, it said, from Llanelli Town Ccouncil and a one-off grant from Llanelli Rural Council.
“The funding was awarded in recognition of the extraordinary overheads incurred in maintaining the historic building,” it said.
The town council, like the county council, is providing the attraction with £120,000 over the next two years.
A spokesman for the town council said it was mindful of the value of having a grade I-listed building to Llanelli and that this support would ensure the house remained viable for the future.
Meanwhile, the rural council said it hadn’t made a further contribution because its priorities were taking over the community gardens at Dwyfor, Llwynhendy, and delivering other schemes such as renovating the artificial surface at Dafen Park and improving the car park area at Felinfoel Recreation Ground.