COUNCIL chiefs have defended their decision to cut the hire fee for Aberystwyth’s Bandstand for community groups or charities in a bid to encourage more people to hire the facility for events.

But backbench councillors have criticised the move insisting it would be seen as unfair in other areas of Ceredigion which have council-owned facilities available for hire.

The council has announced two hire fee rates – one for community organisations and charities and another for commercial events – but that led to accusations from Liberal Democrat councillors that the authority was reducing the hire fees for the new bandstand which wasn’t happening at other facilities.

That means community groups wanting to hire the bandstand during the day on a weekday will pay £58 compared to a fee of £89 for commercial events.

The community group fee will rise to £67 for events during the day on Saturday or Sunday, and £104 for commercial events. Both community groups and commercial events will face a charge of £104 to hire the bandstand for an evening on any day.

That daily rate compares to £86 for a community group or £135 for a commercial entity to hire the council chamber, which holds 200 people at Penmorfa, for a morning or afternoon.

See this week’s south editions for the full story, in shops and online now