Plans to create a new community interest group to run Burnham-On-Sea’s Princess Theatre have been put on hold, it emerged at a town council meeting on Monday evening (April 18th).
Just two weeks after proposals to form the new group were unveiled, the Town Council has decided it will not be setting up the new group after all.
During an Extraordinary Town Council Meeting held on Monday, councillors decided instead that the facilities will be managed by a management group comprising of five town councillors and a member of the Friends of The Princess.
It follows the transferal of ownership of The Princess from Sedgemoor District Council to Burnham and Highbridge Town Council on April 1st.
Burnham’s Mayor, Cllr Michael Clarke, told Monday’s meeting: “It’s been decided not to pursue the idea of a community interest group. Instead, a standalone committee will initially run the building.”
He explained to Burnham-On-Sea.com: “It’s all down to timing. With the council elections due next month, we don’t want to commit the council to forming a new community group without the support of the new councillors. The decision may be re-visited again after May.”
The ten councillors present at Monday’s meeting voted unanimously in favour of forming the new management committee which will initailly comprise of members of the Town Council’s working party who clinched the deal with Sedgemoor to save the facilities from closure. The committee will also have the power to co-opt non-voting members of the public in the future.
In March, Sedgemoor District Council sold The Princess to the Town Council for the nominal sum of £1, as reported by Burnham-On-Sea.com here.
