Civic Hall lost almost £250,000 during the coronavirus lockdown

THE cash-strapped Civic Hall has lost almost a quarter of a million pounds in lockdown.

Like venues across the country, the Bedworthbased venue was forced to close its doors as Covid-19 struck - and the financial impact has now been revealed.

A Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council cabinet report states that there has been a £243,000 loss at the venue, often dubbed the jewel in the borough’s crown.

The report states that the impact has been so severe that it has not been able to cover all fixed costs.

It is also not clear when the venue will reopen.

“The Civic Hall has been closed since March 2020 for shows, and although the government has recently announced that theatres can reopen, the council is still reviewing the guidance on this to determine if and when it will be financially viable to open again,” the report states.

“There have been some savings during the time that the Civic Hall has been closed, as casual staff have not been required for instance, but the lack of show income has meant that fixed costs (such as NNDR and utilities) could not be covered.

“The Bistro reopened on July 15, initially for takeaway only and then for customers to eat in from August 10 and signed up to the ‘Eat Out To Help Out scheme’.”

As well as reopening the bistro, shows are being booked in for next year in a bid to draw audiences back.

Members of the council’s cabinet will discuss the report into the impact of the coronavirus crisis during a meeting on Wednesday (September 9).

There have previously been issues surrounding the Civic Hall and the tens of thousands of pounds of losses pre-lockdown.

A Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council audit revealed the venue’s coffee bar, which was budgeted to make £3,000 profit, actually made a loss of around £17,000.

And 30 pints of beer a week were being lost at Legends Bar within the hall during the pipecleaning process. That totalled around a £2,200 loss over a year.

The council said it was looking into the findings of the audit report.