North Tawton Town Councillors are considering how they will fund the repair of the listed town clock which is damaged by wood rot.

The work is expected to cost around £17,000.

Councillors have agreed that once the building survey has been received an extraordinary council meeting will be called to consider the next course of action.

Several suggestions have raised by several councillors which included the possibility of holding back a final decision until after a public meeting to gauge residents’ support for the clock repair costs.

Cllr Christian Martin argued that since it would be taxpayers’ money that would be used to pay for the repairs, North Tawton residents should have the final say on whether or not to go ahead with the plan.

He said: ‘It should be a decision the town makes to see if they want to rebuild or leave the clock.’

Though a listed building, there is no obligation under Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas Act 1990 to keep the clock tower in a good state of repair.

The act states that ‘there is no specific duty on owners to keep their buildings in a good state of repair but local authorities have powers to take action where a designated heritage asset has deteriorated to the extent that its preservation may be at risk.’

However, other councillors argued that since they were elected to represent the residents of the town, it was not necessary to take the decision to the public, ultimately agreeing to look into the costs of repair as the clock has been a recognisable landmark of the town for over a century, though financial discussions will not start until the structure has been examined by a surveyor.

Councillors discarded the possibility of applying to delist the structure in order to reduce costs.

Concerns were raised about how the council might fund the repairs.

According to Section 8 of the Local Government Act 1894, under which the clock was gifted to the town council in 1897, all maintenance and repairs must be done ‘at the cost of the ratepayers’ but the council has considered applying for a grant from the Durant Trust, a charity which was set up for the benefit the people of North Tawton.

The clerk said her research into the matter suggested that there was nothing that would prevent the council from applying for such a grant but suggested obtaining legal advice on the matter to double-check.

As yet, no decision has been made.

The clock tower’s canopy first began to collapse in September 2022 when it was discovered that the skirting had been damaged by severe wood rot.

The clerk approached 15 contractors to ask for quotes but, due to the difficulties of repairing a listed building to the required standard, only three possible construction companies agreed to do the work and provided quotes.

After reviewing the quotes, the council estimates that the work will cost around £17,000.