A NEW Marlborough clock to commemorate the Queen's golden jubilee last June is already slow.

If all goes to plan, it should be put up outside the Jubilee Centre in the High Street before the end of the summer, almost a year after the country marked the Queen's 50-year reign.

Delays have been caused largely because of confusion over who owns the Jubilee Centre, built to commemorate the Queen's Silver Jubilee in 1977.

The plan for the clock went before members of Marlborough Town Council's planning committee on Monday, and received their blessing.

The only main objection was put forward by Coun Stewart Dobson, who was chairman of the town's abortive Millennium celebrations in 2000.

His committee's plans for a commemorative market cross had to be abandoned because of lack of support and funding.

The now-disbanded jubilee committee, headed by former Mayor Derek Smithers, raised more than £13,000 for last year's jubilee celebrations that included a street party for 1,200 children and 400 senior citizens in the High Street.

The jubilee committee had a surplus of about £5,000 that members agreed should be spent on a commemorative clock.

Initially, the Jubilee Centre trustees were asked to give their consent for the clock. But then it was realised that the centre was owned by the Sarsen Housing Association and negotiations had to restart.

Sarsen has now given consent for the clock to be placed on the forecourt outside the centre and has agreed to maintain the clock in future.

As the centre is in the town's conservation area, an application for planning permission had to be submitted to Kennet District Council and came up for discussion by the town council planning committee on Monday.

Coun Dobson said: "I will be voting against this plan because I don't think it's suitable to be put there and it will be in the wrong position."

Outside the council chamber, jubilee committee treasurer Alec Light accused Coun Dobson of sour grapes because his Millennium committee had "failed miserably" to organise any celebrations or memorial in 2000.

Mr Light said: "Under Coun Dobson's chairmanship the Millennium committee achieved nothing yet he has the nerve to vote against a jubilee clock."

Mr Smithers, a former town councillor, said: "The Jubilee Centre was Marlborough's way of celebrating the silver jubilee so we feel it is fitting that the clock to celebrate the golden jubilee should go in front of it."