Plans to create a new community interest group to run Burnham-On-Sea’s Princess Theatre were unveiled on Monday evening (April 4th).
The formation of the new group would make it easier for the facilities to be run by the Town Council, which formally took over ownership from Sedgemoor District Council last Friday (April 1st).
Burnham’s Mayor, Cllr Michael Clarke, put forward the proposal, saying: “The Princess is a superb asset to the town, but with it comes an awful lot of work in running it.”
“This job can’t be done by the Town Council alone, which is why we’d like to form the community interest group. It would have one stakeholder – the town council – and be overseen by a small group of four directors, who would be volunteers and be responsible for the building.”
Community interest companies were introduced by the government six years ago for social enterprises that want to use their profits and assets for the public good.
The plans generally drew positive feedback by councillors, but are to be discussed further at a special meeting of the full town council on April 18th.
Cllr Neville Jones said: “It is an exciting proposal, but I feel we need to examine the plans in writing before agreeing anything. This is a very important step for The Princess which should not be taken lightly.”
Meanwhile, interviews for a new manager for the theatre are being held this Thursday (April 6th) and Cllr Peter Burridge-Clayton, pictured, revealed that 40 applicants have applied for the position.
In March, Sedgemoor District Council agreed to sell The Princess to the Town Council for the nominal sum of £1, as reported by Burnham-On-Sea.com here.
