To seek approval to establish a well-being centre in Kington, based at the current customer services centre and library, incorporating current services whilst co-ordinating preventative health provision for residents of Kington and the surrounding area.

(b)       £78,000 capital funding is allocated to improve the facilities at the centre.

The recommendation would enable the customer service and library functions to be retained in the town, whilst improving access to wider health and wellbeing services for residents of Kington and the surrounding area.

The alternative options are listed in detail in “Kington Service Study Report” (appendix one).  In summary these are:

·         Do nothing – this would result in the closure of the centre as the budget savings agreed in January 2014 for customer services would not cover current running costs.

·         The centre sold on the open market – this would create a capital receipt for Herefordshire Council, but would mean withdrawal of the service.

·         Community asset transfer – this would mean the asset transferred to representatives of the community to run as a benefit to the community (not necessarily as a library, as long as there was demonstration of community benefit).

·         Community asset and devolved service – this would mean the centre being run by community representatives as a library / customer service centre.