A FAIRLIE councillor says the council have 'an obligation' to repair the village's hall - and accused them of failing locals by not maintaining it.

The building's future is currently uncertain but Councillor Alan Hill this week said whatever the future the decision may be, the council must fulfill their original agreement over its upkeep.

He said: "At present the council has not made a decision on the future of the building - and it has an obligation to leave it in good condition.

"At present there are various issues and a number of repairs need to be carried out.

"If the council were to surrender the lease of the building, then they have to do something about the interior as that was what was originally agreed when they took over the lease in the 1970s."

The News recently revealed that the council collect £950,000 in council tax from Fairlie's households each year - with only £10,000 per annum needed to keep the village hall open.

Cllr. Hill, who sits on the Fairlie Community Association, said: "There are elements of what the council have proposed regarding the future running of the village hall which I don't think are a bad.

"The vast majority of events at the village hall do not require paid staff in attendance for instance.

"The increased use of key holding for the community would be a useful thing and if there could be an arrangement of having a mixture of volunteer and groups who are trusted key holders who can open up the facility, that would be an improvement.

"There is no reason for instance why the art club needs a janitor in the back room while the artists are painting.

"If we could come to an arrangement where we are running the hall ourselves with North Ayrshire Council overseeing things, that would be ideal."

If the council do relinquish the long standing lease, Cllr, Hill says funding must be found to keep the hall open by other means.

A North Ayrshire Council spokesperson said: “It is usual practice for a tenant to be responsible for leaving a property in reasonable condition upon exit of a lease, although it is not expressly covered in this lease document. Any repairs to be undertaken would therefore be subject to agreement.

“Fairlie Village Hall is inspected regularly by the council, with the most recent inspection having taken place on September 10.”