West Lancashire Borough Council have been awarded a grant of £36,000 from the national One Public Estate programme for an important part of its work to help make Ormskirk an even better place to live work and visit.

The One Public Estate programme is an established national programme delivered in partnership between local and central government. It provides practical and technical support and funding to councils to deliver ambitious property-focused programmes in collaboration with central government and other public sector partners.

The successful bid by the Council will see the funding allocated to undertaking feasibility studies and options appraisals for various underused buildings in Ormskirk. These properties include the redundant Magistrates' Court on Derby Street and the under-used bus station site on Moor Street.

The grant will assist in evaluating a range of opportunities for these key sites, and examine how more uses could be made of these buildings to benefit local people and opportunities to bring about efficiency savings by reducing running costs.

A strategic approach will be taken with the Council working with both public sector partners, and the private sector, to bring about the best solutions for Ormskirk assets.

Councillor Ian Moran, Leader of West Lancashire Borough Council and portfolio holder for Economic Regeneration, said: "I am delighted the Council has been given this funding to press ahead with its work to see how underused buildings in Ormskirk can be best be utilised to bring maximum benefit to the people of West Lancashire."

The OPE programme began in 2013 and now more than 250 councils across the country are delivering on projects under the OPE programme transforming local communities and public services. OPE partnerships across the country have shown the value of working together across the public sector and taking a strategic approach to asset management. Being part of the OPE programme will help the Council and Ormskirk get more out of its assets creating new opportunities to regenerate the town centre and delivering more for Ormskirk.

On the Magistrates Court it seems late in the day and possibly a waste of taxpayers money as the Court has been marketed for sale already by the Homes and Communities Agency and bids made. Perhaps the bids weren't good enough.