Bromyard'S well-used Community Resource Centre has been threatened with closure after a dispute with its landlords, the Bromyard Public Hall Management Committee .

The committee has discovered it has a legal requirement, as a charity, to secure the maximum market rent when leasing out its property.

However, paying no rent is in the CRC constitution and wrangling over the matter has resulted in its chairman, Malcolm Moore, tendering his resignation as a member of the PHMC.

To prevent closure of the resource centre, which provides computing equipment to voluntary groups, PHMC chairman Martin Ganderton has sought a solution with the Charity Commission.

He said; "There has been acrimonious atmosphere but I am hopeful to clear it up fairly soon because the resource centre is so widely used. It would be against the spirit of the deed, which is to improve the lives of the community, to close it down."

A likely remedy is if the Charity Commission can be persuaded to issue a special order to allow the present arrangement to continue.

A special meeting of the committee is being called next Thursday to discuss the issue.