The threat of closure looming over Burnham’s Princess Hall appeared to ease on Friday (February 17th) when the leader of Sedgemoor District Council gave his firm backing to community halls in the area and a new budget was announced.
Speaking at a meeting where the council decided how to spend its finances during the coming year, Council Leader Duncan McGinty said he wanted public halls and community centres “to prosper and make a larger impact in the community they serve.”
Councillors agreed that funding of theatres in the district – including The Princess Hall in Burnham – would be set at £258,020 for 2006/07.
Cllr McGinty added: “We want to see much more local management of our public halls and community centres.”
“This does not mean we want to see them close, far from it – we want them not only to survive, but to prosper and make a larger impact in the community they serve.”
“We believe that this can best be done by moving them out of council control and into the control of more dedicated local groups still receiving limited Council funding.”
Councillor McGinty, pictured below, who is on the council’s Conservative group, added: “My Group believes strongly in the hugely important role of Town and Parish Councils.”
“For that reason, we want to empower and enable local councils to assume direct responsibility for an increased range of services. Indeed, decisions at this grass-roots level are more responsive to the needs of the local community.”
“This administration believes that by allowing the freedom and flexibility for local councils to control their destiny, the quality of local services will improve to meet their community’s expectations.”
The comments come just a week after Burnham’s Town Council said it would start discussions with Sedgemoor over the future of the Princess.
Friday’s speech was welcomed by Burnham Town Council Leader Peter Clayton, who told Burnham-On-Sea.com: “This is excellent news for Burnham and all the users of the hall.”
“It would seem the fears we had over several issues will now be overcome and the council’s finances are being managed effectively.”
At the meeting, the District Council set its proportion of the Council Tax at 4.2%, equating to a rise of £4.56 a year (8p a week) for a band D property, totalling £112.21 per annum. A one per cent rise on the Council tax raises £41,000 for the District Council.
The Council Leader did state, however, that there are likely to be staff cuts, more reliance on electronic services, and fewer committee meetings during the coming year in order to make financial savings.
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Princess Hall is threatened with closure
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