AN ART collective has been given the chance to stay in The Market House in Ross-on-Wye after one councillor said it would be a "PR disaster if it didn't."

The future is still slightly uncertain for Made in Ross- a group of artists who display and sell their work at the historic building in the centre of Ross with the help of The Courtyard in Hereford- after questions arose over the legality of their licence to occupy.

Town Cllr Harry Bramer said if Ross Town Council, which now owns the Market House, allowed the licence to continue then the artists would be able to stay there in perpetuity.

At an extraordinary town council meeting last Wednesday it was decided the council would renegotiate with The Courtyard to co-operate with the collective to occupy the Market House on terms to be agreed and to formulate a legal agreement for all parties for a further six months from the date of termination.

The collective have now been given a notice to quit but it is hoped there will be a new contract in place to continue.

At the town council meeting Cllr Jo Jennings said "We can't afford to lose. We can't afford winners. We need a win-win. Otherwise, this will, apart from depriving people of a livelihood, it will be a PR disaster.

"We will go down as the council who hates the arts."

Ian Archer, chief executive of The Courtyard, told the meeting they would be happy to sit down and renegotiate another lease.

He said: "Arts make a huge different to an economy. The creative industry is now growing three times greater than other industries. What we have here is a model that can work in the rest of the UK."

He said The National Council on the Arts is interested to see the model work across the country.

Mr Archer said: "I think it is brilliant what has happened here and I just beg you to keep it going."

A member of the public, Sue Kirby, raised concerns about the cost to the town council and questioned why the council had to pay some bills, such as electricity, at The Market House.

But Cllr Jane Roberts said the town council not only agreed to the proposal but also a public consultation agreed that to have continued public access, some subsidy would be needed.

She said: "We couldn't expect to have both access and no running costs."

Cllr Phil Cutter said he would like to see an area in the Market House dedicated to providing tourist information adding: "Don't alienate everyone- work together."