CALLS to provide new exhibition facilities in Morpeth Town Hall have been rejected by councillors.
An art exhibition was held in the building last year, but some of the equipment, such as heavy duty display boards, had to be hired in.
The artists involved had suggested that Morpeth Town Council, which manages the Town Hall with Northumberland Registration Services, should invest in boards of its own.
But the council’s Property and Asset Management Committee has rejected the idea over a lack of storage facilities.
Town Clerk Gillian Turner said: “We have got provision in the Town Hall budget for display boards and we could put them on a wish-list we manage with the registrars, but the problem is storage. There is nowhere to store anything.
“The boards would have to stand against the wall, which wouldn’t look good if someone else was hiring the room.”
Deputy Clerk Angela Logan added: “We have lots of other things taking place in the Town Hall and we haven’t had customers asking if we could provide display boards.”
The committee was told that it would cost £3,500 to buy the boards and display lights, or about £200 to hire them. Members said hiring would be better and they could be included as part of a room hire package.
The committee also decided not to proceed with a request for a picture rail in the Corn Exchange as it could change the nature of the listed building.
Chairman Andrew Tebbutt said: “We want the Town Hall to be used as much and as widely as possible, but due to the nature of the building there are limitations.”