Historic arts and cultural venue to return to council ownership

Anthony Lewis, local democracy reporter

An historic town centre arts and cultural venue, which has been closed for nearly two years, is set to return to council hands.

The former town hall known as the Redhouse closed its doors in 2024 after Merthyr Tydfil Housing Association was unable to carry out a transfer of the building from the former Merthyr Tydfil Leisure Trust.

In April 2024, Merthyr Tydfil’s leisure and cultural services returned to council control from the trust with the Redhouse set to return to its owners Merthyr Tydfil Housing Association but the housing association said it was unable to gain detailed information from the leisure trust to allow it to understand the full liabilities that would likely transfer.

As a result the decision was taken to close the building but at a full council meeting on Wednesday, January 14, councillors unanimously voted to bring the Redhouse back into council ownership.

Leader of the council, Councillor Brent Carter, said; “We know this historic building is really important to so many of you, so we have been working hard to bring the Redhouse back into council ownership.

“It has long been a priority of ours to see the Redhouse returned to the council, a goal we have diligently and consistently pursued for over a year, demonstrating our unwavering commitment to its future.

“Now that this has been approved by full council, we can begin the legal process of taking official ownership of the building.

“We believe this is a fantastic step forward for the Redhouse and for our county borough. We’ll keep you updated as things progress.”