Civic theatre in urgent cash plea
COUNCIL bosses will be urged to grant a cash injection to the ‘jewel in the crown’ of Hyndburn.
Scrutiny committee members heard a plea from Gayle Knight of Hyndburn Arts for a oneoff £30,000 cash injection to keep the Civic Arts Theatre in Oswaldtwistle running.
Ms Knight told the committee without the funding, the centre could have to close.
A spate of cancelled bookings has contributed to cash flow problems for
the trust.
A Michael Jackson tribute act cancelled his tour after a damning BBC Panorama documentary about the star aired.
And self-proclaimed serial killer expert Paul Harrison cancelled his UK tour after an investigation by The Sun cast doubt on his claims to have encountered notorious figures including Rose West, Peter Sutcliffe and Charles Manson.
A Jason Manfordbacked comedy competition was moved to a bigger venue and a planned show by a boyband was also cancelled.
Ms Knight said: “If we don’t have your support, it is quite possible we aren’t able to get through this situation.
“We may have to hand the building back to the council if you choose not to support us.
“In all likelihood, we would not survive.”
The former Oswaldtwistle Town Hall building was refurbished in 2010/11 and reopened as the Civic Arts Centre and Theatre on August 10, 2010.
Initially the downstairs was the Arts Centre and was managed by Hyndburn Arts Trust while the theatre was still managed by Hyndburn Leisure.
In 2015 the two floors were both brought under the management of Hyndburn Arts.
In addition to the problems with cancellations, trustees have had to deal with a flood this year from old pipes that burst, as well as issues with a faulty fire alarm.
And last year, the building’s heating broke down.
Ms Knight told members the council had been losing more than £50,000 a year on the building before it was taken over by Hyndburn Arts.
She said an average of 1,500 people now used the building every week and people came from across the country to attend events organised by Hyndburn Arts.
Co-opted committee member and former councillor Paul Barton said: “Everything has gone wrong all at once.
“These things happen and it would be sad if the Civic had to close because of this.
“It is the jewel in the crown of Oswaldtwistle and Hyndburn.”
Fellow co-optee Ian Ormerod added: “I don’t think Hyndburn can afford to lose the Civic Theatre.
“It’s an old building probably past its date but a new building is pie in the sky.
“It’s the one we’ve got and if we lose it, we are left with nothing.”
Ward representative for St Oswalds, Councillor Marlene Haworth, said: “I have run businesses all my working life and part of that is to have a contingency for the very same thing that we are talking about here.
“I am surprised that there isn’t a plan in place for this business.
“You don’t just accumulate £30,000 worth of debt in a couple of days.
“Someone should have realised things were not going as they should have been.
“This council has managed to balance its books because there is a plan to limit the impact of cuts.”
Coun Haworth added: “I’m very concerned what would happen if the same situation pops up in the future.
“As a council, we can’t afford to keep putting money in.”
Despite these concerns, councillors agreed to pass an urgent recommendation to Hyndburn council cabinet members that the funding request be granted.
They also agreed if cabinet members grant the funding, Ms Knight should report back to the scrutiny committee next year detailing how the cash has been put to use and what lessons had been learned from the situation.