BOROUGH amenities chief Bob Hardiker is looking to give a new role to a struggling restaurant which closed at the weekend.

The brasserie at Congleton Town Hall was the lynchpin behind a council initiative aimed at turning around the financial fortunes of the loss-making building.

However the late opening of the restaurant and scaffolding which still covers the front of the civic centrepiece has badly hit takings.

The council is now planning a new role for the brasserie after taking back control this week of the management of the Town Hall from a trust.

''We are looking to see if we can use the former brasserie more effectively to service the main hall, rather than just using it as a restaurant during the day,'' said Mr Hardiker, the head of amenities and leisure at the council.

''The brasserie was not making a surplus, and the whole idea was that it would be the main income generator for the town hall.

''We are going to review our options and see how we can use the brasserie to the best effect, and I will be discussing the various possibilities with the relevant technical staff.''

Scaffolding needed for repair and maintenance work had been bad for trade at the brasserie, he added, and could remain for several months to come.

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