Residents have told the Post that Clydebank Town Hall, run by West Dunbartonshire Council (WDC), must be used for its original purpose — a meeting place for locals.

Home to the Grand Hall, Reception Hall and Lecture Hall, the Grade B listed Clydebank Town Hall opened in 1902 and was used by community groups for decades.

But the hall was given an upgrade in 2013, incorporating an art gallery and the existing museum.

Costs for room hire rose considerably — it now costs £62 per hour to hire the Grand Hall and £47 per hour to host the Reception Hall.

Paul Dooley planned to host a fundraising dance at Clydebank Town Hall on April 25 for a charity he set up called the Kidney Donation Awareness Foundation.

But the 30 year old Clydebank man was forced to cancel the event when he learned the cost had more than tripled.

He said: “Last year I had a charity event in the town hall and organised it all myself. The total cost was just under £400. We had 500 people there and raised £15,000.

“They gave me a discount and gave me a second hall for the bar for free. I brought my own stewards, they were licensed and the police were happy with what I had in place.

“For this year we agreed there would be 400 people and they told me they wanted 12 stewards and they wanted to use their own, that would be £1,000 alone. The total costs were coming in at £2,000 and that’s a charity event.

Paul added: “I don’t mind paying a wee bit more but it has tripled, I’m trying to raise money — not give it away.” Paul’s case comes just as WDC confirmed it was to close the historic lecture hall and convert it into office space for councillors.

Sam Gibson, of Clydebank Local History Society, says the council has lost sight of the heritage and function of the iconic building.

He said the hall and its services were now run as a commercial enterprise.

“The building was built by the public for the public use; hence the halls- Main Hall, Lesser Hall, Lecture Room and even on occasions when these three were in use, the Court Room was used for meetings.

“The present pricing structure, lack of simple storage and tea making facilities has driven most of the local voluntary groups — ratepayers — away from what should be the civic and cultural centre of the town.

A spokeswoman for West Dunbartonshire Council said: “The council is currently improving its use of existing buildings as part of a project that will save around £300,000 from the revenue budget a year. Part of this will involve a small office being created within the town hall’s lecture hall to provide room for employees who will be supporting councillors. We will begin this work following approval from the planning and building standards team. This office can be removed in future if needed.

“The town hall recently underwent a £3.5 million renovation in order to create a much needed flexible space in West Dunbartonshire to host large conferences, shows, ceremonies and events as well as improved museum and gallery accommodation.

“The council has a number of other local community facilities in the Clydebank area that are ideal for smaller group bookings and are regularly used for this purpose.”