MONMOUTHSHIRE council’s cabinet will meet at one of the county’s most historic buildings today.

The cabinet, which previously met in the Council Chamber, County Hall, is moving its meetings temporarily to The Shire Hall, Monmouth whilst new headquarters are built in Usk.

The authority must leave County Hall by the end of the month as the office block has concrete cancer.

The Grade I-Listed Shire Hall dates back to 1724 and was the scene of the Chartist trials where John Frost and other Chartists were convicted of high treason in 1840.

The building has undergone a £4.4million restoration and has two courts, a council chamber, meeting and community rooms and a new tourist information centre.

The council's leader, Cllr Peter Fox, said: “It certainly is the end of an era. But more importantly, it’s the start of a new one. We’ll now be holding Cabinet meetings in the county that we serve - and the beautifully refurbished Shire Hall is a fantastic place to start to do that whilst we wait for our new headquarters to be built.”

At today’s meeting, in the old Council Chamber, members will discuss spending £735,000 on replacing the artificial sports pitches at Abergavenny and Caldicot Schools/Leisure Centres.

In his report, Mike Moran, the council’s community infrastructure coordinator, warns if they are not replaced this year they will have to close because of their condition.

The cost to replace Caldicot's turf with a 3G pitch, made from synthetic turf, and relocate it would cost £610,000. It would serve all the rugby and football clubs in South Monmouthshire.

Replacing the sand-filled carpet at Abergavenny would cost £125,000.

Grants from Sport Wales, Wales Rugby Union and funding from housing developments in Caldicot would raise £185,000, and £26,371 in Abergavenny. A total of £524,629 would be taken from the council’s capital budget.