Extra cash is likely to be invested in Dorchester's Municipal Buildings project after the town council found itself £85,000 better off than predicted.

Some of the extra money is now expected to be used to make additional changes as part of the Municipal Buildings revamp and, if needed, to help support Dorchester Arts as it moves to take over the management of the building from September.

Town clerk Adrian Stuart told an online town policy meeting that some of the money would be useful to carry out small projects on the town buildings while contractors were still on site. These included removing asbestos from fire doors and although not dangerous, if left in place, would be cheaper to remove now, rather than in the future.

He said it might also be useful to have money in reserve to support the arts organisation if it was not successful in gaining further government financial support as the lockdown continued for live performances.

Mr Stuart said the £2.5m revamp of the Municipal Buildings was progressing well and new audio and lighting equipment were about to be agreed, together with new raked seating.

He told town councillors that work on the new roof had revealed, as expected, elements of rotting wood which needed replacing, but nothing unexpected.

Mr Stuart said that a decision on planning consent for new town council offices at the back of the building was expected soon along with news of a Low Carbon Dorset grant towards the cost of a new biomass heating system.

He told the meeting that the town council was positive that the new system would be the least polluting or all options for the building's heating, despite concerns expressed by the Conservatives that it would add to pollution in the town centre air management zone.

Policy committee chairman Cllr Susie Hosford said it had to be remembered that the main cause of town centre pollution was traffic in the high streets which she said the Conservative-controlled Dorset Council had failed to tackle.

"It's disappointing that Dorset Council seem to have no will to address this and they haven't come up with any strategy to do so," she said.