The town hall, Bolton Library and Bolton Museum are among more than 100 public buildings in line for a £11.5m investment to ensure their safety and security.

Bolton Council admitted the investment is a big one in light of the burden on its budget but argued it is to ensure the use of these public buildings in the long term.

The work on the 150-year-old town hall focuses on some repairs to its roof and to its windows as well as to the baroque-style clock tower. The work on Bolton Library and Bolton Museum focuses on similar repairs.

There are surveys on more than 100 public buildings to check on their condition and to check for Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC), a type of concrete prone to collapse which hit the headlines this year.

All of the £11.5m investment comes from an existing maintenance budget up for discussion by a scrutiny committee on Wednesday.

The Bolton News: Bolton Library and Bolton Museum

The council's chief executive, Sue Johnson, said: "Bolton Town Hall belongs to the people and as a council we have a responsibility to protect it and to make sure it can still be used by the community in another 150 years.

"We need to make sure our residents are safe and this investment will guarantee the safety of the town hall, library and museum, and other buildings that the public use every day.

"We understand £11.5m is a significant amount of money at a time when everyone's budgets are under pressure. 

"However, this a long-term investment in Bolton's future, and it will avoid a larger maintenance bill in the future.

"The work is covered by our existing maintenance budget which means funds are not being diverted from the essential frontline services we all rely on."

Designed by William Hill, the town hall opened 150 years ago in the presence of the then Prince of Wales, later King Edward, the eldest son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.

A number of additions were made to the town hall, such as statues of Dr Samuel Taylor Chadwick and Sir Benjamin Alfred Dobson. It was also at around this time, in the 1890s, Victoria Square received its name to mark the monarch's Diamond Jubilee.

However, the work was far from over. A lot of the structure as it is today is a result of the 1930s, when it was extended westwards and a crescent of other buildings was added by Bradshaw Gass and Hope, a business still to be seen in the town to this day.

In the 1960s, the area was pedestrianised and other additions followed from benches and bins to street lights and stone pavements.

And in the 1990s, the Town Hall Conservation Area was created when the Town Centre Conservation Area was split up into three.

His Majesty King Charles III visited to mark the 150th anniversary on January 20.

This article was written by Jack Tooth. To contact him, email jack.tooth@newsquest.co.uk or follow @JTRTooth on Twitter.