SAVED – we hope! After a huge public campaign involving thousands of residents and tourists, money for the King’s has won cross-party support in the recent Council budget. Safety concerns would have forced the venue to close within two years – but thanks to your efforts, the Council will now spend £2 million a year for the next three years to do up the venue.
Despite the council leader saying in May that it was a “top priority”, the deputy had refused, saying: “All our capital funding is fully committed at the moment. If we to try to find money for the King’s now, we’d have to delay another project.” But thanks to your support for the campaign, we can now start to look at the long-term future of the King’s.
The Council are looking at selling off the venue – something that we have great concerns about. The theatre itself has great plans to become a training venue so young kids in the city can begin to learn skills in the arts – something that really needs the theatre to be a civic jewel, not just a money-making exercise.
Some suggestions on the different options available are here.
