Two councillors, the deputy mayor, Carol Sparks, and Dianne Newman, wrote an opinion piece in the last Examiner suggesting that the grand old building should be converted into a “hub” for young people once the RFS has vacated it.

“It would be a focus for people who currently have few places to go apart from the street and the park at night’, they said jointly. It would be “somewhere safe to go”.

Another councillor of the seven who make up Glen Innes Severn Council has added his voice. Andrew Parsons said: “I fully support it.”

“”We need something in this town to give kids some direction outside the home”, he said. “It could improve morale.”

But at least one other on the council is against the idea, feeling it hasn't been thought through, particularly on how it would be funded. 

Cr Parsons thinks the money has to be found, either from within the council’s budget or through a state grant. “It will come back to how much money we can find in our own budget and how much money Adam Marshall can find”, he said.

There are council elections coming up this year so there may be an emphasis on popular causes. The council has already decided, though, to look at increasing spending on a youth officer. There is already one but the budget only extends to paying for her for a small part of the week.

She’s been conducting a survey of young people’s views. The creation of a special centre was not part of the questioning. 

Some councillors wonder whether the “hub” would be a wise use of rate-payers’ money. One asked if young people would visit a “youth hub” if it was supervised by adults.

On the other hand, would it be possible without adult supervision, the councillor asked.