Atkinson closure on Sundays saves cash

THE Atkinson has now been closed on Sundays for more than a year.

The arts and cultural hub on Lord Street was reopened in 2013 after a cash injection of almost £20m.

The Atkinson is home for music, theatre, poetry, literature and history, and hosts everything from community groups to A-list comedy gigs.

But in 2017, Sefton Council decided to close the centre on Sundays, to cut staffing costs.

The decision came after the council lost a huge amount of Government funding, and had to find ways of cutting £64m from its budget over three years.

A cabinet report the last year revealed that Sefton has lost the equivalent of £722 per household.

Many residents have questioned the decision to close The Atkinson on one of the days of the weekend, with some suggesting it could close at the beginning of the week.

But Cllr Trish Hardy, cabinet member for communities and housing, said it had made a significant loss each Sunday.

Cllr Hardy said: “Our reduced budget means Sunday opening hours would be difficult to sustain, especially given the enhancements that are attributed to Sunday working.

“Sundays are often a quieter day and an analysis of visitor footfall revealed that Sunday visits were sometimes half that of an average weekday.”

She added that it costs more than £700 in staffing, utility and maintenance to open the building on Sundays and with visitor spending generally low, The Atkinson was frequently losing £300-£550 every Sunday.

She also said if funding levels increased in the future then the situation could be looked at again.