Published 14/11/2026 By William Turtle-Clark

Town councillors in Kington are being urged to reject a request from Herefordshire Council to contribute tens of thousands of pounds toward a county-wide youth support scheme, amid concerns over unclear local benefits.

Ahead of Monday’s full council meeting, Kington Town Council’s finance committee has formally recommended turning down the request for between £10,000 and £25,000. The funding bid was made last month by Herefordshire Council’s Cabinet member for children and young people, Councillor Ivan Powell, to help pool resources for a £400,000 Youth Strategy that includes virtual and mobile youth services.

In his letter, Councillor Powell argued that rural communities require flexible digital and outreach services, and that pooling local budgets would deliver the best value. However, minutes from Kington's finance committee meeting on November 2 show members found "insufficient information on how pooled funds would benefit young people in Kington."

The committee also noted that granting the upper £25,000 figure would consume more than an eighth of Kington’s entire proposed £207,608 budget for the 2027–2028 financial year. Alongside the budget review, councillors confirmed ongoing discussions with Herefordshire Council regarding the potential transfer of Kington’s Market Hall into town council ownership.

Similar hesitation has emerged in Ross-on-Wye, where the town council's management committee requested clearer details on how mobile and virtual provision would directly serve local teenagers, and whether other market towns were making equivalent financial commitments before agreeing to any contribution.

Kington town councillors will cast their final vote on the funding recommendation on Monday, November 16.