A video link between Ledbury Town Council offices and the Market House has not been ruled out.

The Accommodation Working Party heard that such a link would comply with new disabled access regulations and enable disabled people to actively participate in town council meetings.

The new laws, which come into effect in 2004, could render the Market House unsuitable as a venue for public meetings, because the wooden stairs into the Grade 1* listed building make disabled access difficult.

A video link could enable disabled people to listen into and participate in the debates.

But at last week's meeting of the town's finance and general purposes committee, chairman Spencer Lane said that both the town council offices in Church Lane and the Market House could pose problems if disabled employees needed to work in them.

He suggested architects be asked to carry out an audit of town council buildings "to see how they come up to the 2004 requirements".

Former mayor Clive Jupp shared Coun Lane's reservations about the existing buildings.

He said: "If we do stay in the council offices, we need to do something about upgrading them."

The finance and general purposes committee heard that the issues would be discussed further, at the next meeting of the Accommodation Working Party.