TENSION is quietly simmering as a row between a Machynlleth hotelier and the town council over the custody of 18 chairs rumbles on.

After previously agreeing to accept 40 unwanted chairs from Charles Dark, of the Wynnstay Hotel, who had come into possession of the chairs from the Owain Glyndwr Institute, councillors revealed they had only received 21 chairs.

And after agreeing to lend the 21 chairs back to Mr Dark for the Machynlleth Comedy Festival last month, councillors said they had only received 18 back.

“I do feel we can’t keep going back and forth — he has either given them to us or he hasn’t,” Cllr Sylvia Rowlands said.

“We should get something in writing. I feel very strongly about it. I am not against him borrowing them as long as he looks after them and we have something in writing saying we would have them back.”

Cllr Glenda Jenkins said the town council had no need for the extra chairs at Y Plas, but suggested asking Mr Dark to make a donation to the Future Play Machynlleth group should he like to borrow them.

The mayor Cllr Tony Jones said: “He gave them to us so we can’t exactly ask him for money when all he wants to do is borrow them.”

Councillors voted to formalise an agreement with Mr Dark, which would keep the chairs in Machynlleth and also allow him to borrow them if he needed to.

Mr Dark said he had not yet received correspondence from the council, but said he had found a use for the chairs and would give them back to the town council if they became surplus to requirements again.

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