Arts venues saved as council tackles £25m budget hole

THE future of two of Cardiff’s flagship arts venues has been secured.

Cardiff council cabinet members have approved of the termination of plans to find an outside provider to run the New Theatre and St David’s Hall.

Instead, the authority will look to modernise both venues and consider development options.

The two venues had been under threat as the council has tried to cut their huge subsidies.

In 2014, running the New Theatre and St David’s Hall cost city taxpayers £2m a year.

But council documents last week revealed how it hoped to be able to slash that subsidy to £1.2m a year by keeping them under council management.

Cabinet member Peter Bradbury said the council would look at securing new investment for the two venues – and potentially set up a not-for-profit body to manage them.

He told the meeting the vision was to build a long-term future for both venues.

He said: “People in Cardiff and the wider region have got behind the venues. This decision is the right decision for the council and for the cultural sector as a whole. We’ve gone to the marketplace, had a look at how we compare and we’re doing quite well actually.”

The cabinet meeting heard how staff could work at both venues in future, rather than just one.

Cabinet member Susan Elsmore said: “I’m really, really delighted because this absolutely recognises the importance of these two cultural venues to Cardiff.”

Around 440,000 people visit St David’s Hall and the New Theatre each year. Between them, the two venues are estimated to generate £38m for the local economy.

It came as cabinet members approved plans to plug a £25m hole in the council’s budget.

That will be done with a 3.7% rise in council tax – which will raise an extra £4.5m – and £17m more savings, £1.5m from reserves and £1.8m through education savings.

Of the £17m of savings, social services is worst hit with £4.9m of savings to be made.

The savings, by department, also include £2.3m from education, £2.1m from economic development, £1.26m from resources, £1.1m from city operations, £1m from communities, housing and customer services, £102,000 from governance and legal services, and £84,000 from corporate management.

The authority also has an extra £4m to spend after receiving more than expected from the Welsh Government.

That will go on repairing roads and paths, boosting security against terror attacks, refurbishing Cardiff Market and making sure taxi drivers comply with their licences and city centre improvements.

Graham Hinchey, cabinet member for corporate services and performance, said: “Needless to say, £25m is a huge sum of money to have to save. That’s going to be a huge challenge.

“The pressure’s on us to reduce and get more for less.”