A call to provide more than £150,000 to aid the restoration of the bells in a Pembrokeshire town centre church, as part of an overall ‘levelling-up’ rejuvenation of the town, has been backed by senior councillors.
At the September meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council’s Cabinet, members were asked to authorise a grant of Levelling Up funds of up to £154,491.30 to registered charity The St Mary’s Pembroke Bell Restoration Project Fund, and to enter into a legal agreement with the charity.
In March, the council entered into an agreement with UK Government to deliver the Eastgate to Westgate: Levelling Up Pembroke Town project, to be funded by £10,543,627 from the Levelling Up Fund and £1,171,514 of match funding.
A report for members, presented by deputy leader Cllr Paul Miller, who moved approval, said: “The project had been added to the capital programme following a Cabinet resolution in January 2025. Part of this project concerns the restoration of the bells of St Mary’s Church, Pembroke, at an estimated cost of £171,657.”
The balance of the cost of the project, £17,165.70 plus any excess, is to be met by the charity.
It said the bells have been removed from the tower for safety reasons, with works already undertaken and in progress on the building itself, but “no contract has yet been entered into by the charity for the work on the bells themselves, involving the restoration of the bells, the replacement of one that rings out of true, and the addition of an additional two bells”.
It added: “The legal agreement takes account of the specific risks that pertain to the delivery of the part of the project dealing with bell restoration. For the charity, now that the immediate safety issues are addressed, the risks are changes in government policy and revised quotations and price increases imposed by suppliers.
“From the charity’s perspective therefore, it is important to quickly conclude a legal agreement with the council that will allow them to contract with their suppliers before prices increase further, and to do so whilst the offer of LUF funding remains open.
“It is worth noting that the prolonged period of approval for the Levelling Up Fund has already led to a sharp increase in costs of this part of the overall project.”
The overall Levelling Up Fund Round 3 investment in Pembroke is intended to be “an improved pedestrian connection into the town centre, providing a viable future for the Eastgate Centre, and enhancement of the public realm and green infrastructure to help visitors effectively discover a refreshed townscape, landscape and soundscape”.
Leader Cllr Jon Harvey, seconding approval, said the charity was “doing an absolutely amazing job,” having “fundraised significantly,” with the restoration “excellent for the town”.
Members backed the awarding of the funds.
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