Council withholds town hall clock repair cash

The clock continues ticking for a South Yorkshire council to settle a £10,851 invoice for work on the town hall's troublesome timepiece.

Barnsley Council has withheld payment for the repairs after the tower clock stopped in February, just weeks after undergoing the major work, according to documents released under the Freedom of Information act.

The device, which is now working again, was rebuilt by specialist contractors after an earlier fault.

A spokesperson for the local authority said the contractor was now working on a full fix and would return to carry out further repairs if needed.

According to the council's response, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said the authority had so far paid £300, while a second invoice for £10,851 had not been paid because the clock stopped working shortly after the repair work was completed.

The work carried out included investigation into whether the clock could be repaired, along with repairs to the drive motor and click impulse unit, the council said.

A spokesperson for the authority said it did not expect any additional costs and confirmed the clock was currently working again.

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