The Labour group on Stroud District Council has unanimously decided to recommend that the Subscription Rooms in Stroud remain in public ownership.

Following representations from Stroud residents, the Labour councillors wants to see the review process paused to allow the community further time to come up with a suitable offer.

Council leader Steve Lydon said: "We've listened to people's concerns, and have withdrawn the option of selling the Sub Rooms.

"Instead we will be inviting the existing bidders and other interested groups to come forward with a suitable bid to lease the building. In these hard times of austerity, the council still needs to make savings, and this will have to be part of any solution. We hope that our proposal will be supported by other political parties on 5th December."

The Labour group recognised the hard work that has been done so far by the all party task and finish group charged with conducting the review over the last year, as well as the time and continued effort by staff at the Sub Rooms. The group was also grateful to the Stroud Town Council / Town Trust and Ecotricity for submitting their bids for the freehold.

The new proposal to be brought to the Strategy & Resources Committee on 5th December is that the council doesn't accept either external bid for the Subscription Rooms and that it remain in public ownership. Under the new proposal, the council would advertise a 30 year lease of the Subscription Rooms, which will be raised with the external bidders when the advert is placed.

As reported last week, the cross-party task and finish group was previously recommending that Ecotricity take over the Subscription Rooms .

Stroud District Council is led by a cooperative alliance of the Labour, Green and Liberal Democrat parties.

Punchline feels quite sorry for Ecotricity boss and multi-millionaire Dale Vince - with the controversy over his proposed new football stadium and eco business park at Eastington things just aren't going his way at the moment...