Town councillors have this week approved more than £12,000 of upgrades to Burnham-On-Sea’s Princess Theatre despite a heated debate about whether the work should go ahead.
Burnham and Highbridge Town Council held an extraordinary full council meeting on Wednesday night (July 31st) to consider the proposals to transfer funds from ‘earmarked reserves’ into the Princess Theatre’s property maintenance budget, along with IT upgrades.
Cllr Louise Parkin, who chairs the Princess Theatre Management Committee, said that a revamp of the theatre’s aging electrics is needed, along with upgrades of the theatre’s IT systems.
But Cllr Helen Groves questioned the finances: “When I originally joined this council in 2011 the theatre was running a budget deficit of £50,000 and the understanding then was that the deficit had to come down as the figure was unsustainable. It is now completely out of control.”
She added: “This brings the deficit up to £90,000 and that’s just not acceptable when there are people in our community who cannot afford to put meals on their table who are funding this. There comes a point when you have got to cut your cloth.”
“The theatre needs to be run as a business with business principles, so you can’t spend and spend and spend. This is obscene and we can’t keep throwing money away like this.”
Responding to the comments, Cllr Louise Parkin said: “I don’t disagree with what my colleague across the table has said. I have taken on the chairmanship of the Princess management committee meeting because I am a businesswoman and someone who has worked in the entertainment industry for many decades. The theatre is not in a very good position and we will change that this year. We will bring the deficit down.”
“That is also why we have advertised for a new business development officer, rather than an arts manager. We want someone who can build the business as well as keep it as a community asset.”
Cllr Groves responded that she is “very glad to hear that the intention is to reduce the deficit.”
The Town Council’s Responsible Finance Officer, Sally Jones, added that the funding would be coming from ‘earmarked reserves’, adding: “We have been putting funding into earmarked reserves for several years to cover maintenance issues, of which this is one.”
Cllr Phil Harvey said the work would replace “electrical circuitry that is now well out of date,” adding: “The Princess has been running as a theatre for over 50 years – I used to work in it back then – and a lot of the switches need replacing. This is not unexpected work.”
Cllr Andy Brewer agreed and added that the electrical work would allow the theatre to be compliant with new regulations which came into force last year.
Cllr Sue Harvey said: “This is a community facility. We are hopefully going to put in a business manager so may I suggest that we run with it. I accept what Cllr Groves says – it is an expense for the ratepayer, but if we can turn it around and run it as business we stand a chance. This expense will bring the theatre up to scratch.”
Cllr Groves stressed that she does not want to see the theatre close, only that its budget deficit is reduced.
Cllr Richard Gardiner-White said: “I agree with Helen. There is an awful lot of cash going onto The Princess and not a lot of return or profit coming back in. I would rather see a Business Manager put in place first before we apply more cash, especially for IT. If we are considering moving, introducing streaming, launching a new website and the like, then we should be looking at the bigger perspective.”
But Sally Jones added that quick IT changes are needed as the theatre’s Citrix IT system is currently so restricted that two people cannot work in the building at the same time.
Cllr Mike Murphy said while he respects the views of fellow councillors, he feels that the IT spend is warranted. He added that a “new and enthusiastic” committee has been formed to try and make the theatre better. “If we go ahead with new ideas like the cinema screenings that it can work and be better.”
Cllr Parkin agreed, saying: “To pull the plug at this stage would be foolhardy. We have a beautiful community asset here. If we don’t do the electrical work we would have to shut the doors. The new IT is necessary, and I believe with a vibrant cross-party management committee that we can pull this round. We will bring the deficit down.”
It was also noted that a new CCTV system, roof clearance work, and a fire risk assessment would need to be completed before the major refurbishment project funded by the Hinkley Point community mitigation fund can proceed.
