Decision details

With the approval of the Chairman of the Communities Scrutiny Committee, the urgency procedure, special urgency procedure, and waiver of call-in procedure have been invoked to suspend the requirement to publish notice of the decision for 28 days, to suspend the requirement for a 5-day consideration period, and to suspend the 3-day call-in period. These procedures have been invoked because both the Key Theatre and Werrington Leisure Centre are making significant financial losses, which, given the council’s challenging financial position, need to be mitigated as quickly as possible.

The Cabinet Member approved:

1.    The proposed closure of The Key Theatre from 17^th January 2022.

2.    The temporary closure of Werrington Leisure Centre to public use from 1^st January 2022 until September 2022.

This proposal is not one that has been taken lightly by the council, but, given the financial challenges we are facing we cannot fund a discretionary service operating at a significant financial deficit.

Werrington Leisure Centre being closed to public use for a period of time allows staff to be allocated to other sites which are experiencing staff shortages, and this will have a more positive impact on those revenue lines.

Efforts have been made to reduce overheads and increase income but have not had the level of impact required. Doing nothing is therefore not an option as we cannot continue to fund financial losses. In the case of the Key Theatre, separate discussions are ongoing with potential alternative operators who may be able to operate the theatre with no financial support required from the council.

None.

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