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THE transfer of Haverhill Arts Centre trusteeship to Haverhill Town Council has been agreed despite the fact that some town councillors are opposed to it.

All borough councillors are currently trustees of the building, and at a trustees' meeting on Thursday night, it was agreed that the transfer should go ahead on or near April 1, subject to the town council resolving unconditionally to accept trusteeship.

Haverhill Town Council will discuss the transfer on March 30. Charity Commissioners gave their approval last October and it has been under discussion since 1999.

Mabon Dane, a member of Haverhill Representative Alliance Group on Haverhill Town Council, previously opposed the transfer at a full St Edmundsbury Council before the trustees' meeting.

Coun Dane said town councillors did not have the expertise to run the centre and said the transfer would be like them "setting sail towards an iceberg". He claimed seven out of 16 town councillors were against the transfer and two were considering resigning over the issue.

Borough councillor Andrew Varley said the transfer was subject to the demo cratic process. He said borough councillors were not experts either, which was why they employed staff to run the centre for them.