Local authorities

Thanet Council has revealed plans to restore and modernise Theatre Royal Margate in a bid to transform the Grade II* listed venue into a “nationally significant performing arts hub”.

Proposals put forward for public review include adding a bar and cafe, a 50-seat studio theatre and sound recording studio to the 245-year-old building, as well as rehearsal rooms, offices and accommodation for touring theatre companies.

The council is also testing the market to find a new operator from the performing arts sector for the venue.

Funding of £2.2m has been allocated to the project as part of the Margate Town Deal, but the council says significant external financing is needed. 

To raise funds, Thanet Council has applied to the National Lottery Heritage Fund for a further £3.2m. It is also in conversation with Arts Council England about applying to the Department of Culture Media and Sport’s Cultural Development Fund, launching in 2024. 
 
Ruth Duckworth, Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Property at the council, said: “The Theatre Royal is an important historic performance asset, and plays a key role in Margate’s leisure offering. The project to restore and relaunch it is highly ambitious, and it will not be possible without the support of other major funders, an operator with vision and resources, and the support of the community. 

“The Theatre Royal has the potential to provide employment and training opportunities for young people in performing arts and creative careers. It is a truly unique heritage stage, and I would love to see homegrown talent performing in high quality, locally made productions, as well as visiting national and international theatre productions.”

A project to restore a derelict section of Alexandra Palace has been awarded £550k from Historic England’s at-risk programme.

The funding will be used to stabilise the Palace’s North East Office Building and go toward feasibility work looking at how the space can be developed for public benefit.

It marks the latest phase of a major restoration project of the seven-acre site, funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Haringey Council, that saw the Palace’s Victorian Theatre reopen in 2018 following 80 years of closure. The North East Office Building is described as “the last remaining truly inaccessible area” of the Grade II listed venue.

Tom Foxall, Regional Director at Historic England, said: "Our funding for the North East Office Building is designed to address the most urgent repair work and act as a springboard to access further funding which will open up the area to the public for the first time. 

“We have worked closely with the Trust for a number of years, helping to shape and secure the repair of the building. Alexandra Palace is a vast site full of unique and intriguing spaces and we’re pleased to be able to support this essential work, following a project development grant in 2020."
 

Proposals to sell off a theatre in Worcester to help pay for a council regeneration project have been scrapped.

Funds from the sale of the 350-seat Swan Theatre were earmarked to go toward a multimillion-pound project to build a new arts venue in the city on the site of the listed Scala Theatre and Corn Exchange buildings.

Original plans for the redevelopment of the Scala site, backed by an £18m grant from the government's Future High Streets Fund, have also been dropped after construction costs for the project almost doubled. A consortium of arts and creative organisations has been engaged to advise Worcester City Council on a revised plan for the arts venue.

Worcester Theatres, which runs the Swan Theatre and the city’s Huntingdon Hall, had been due to take up new headquarters at Scala Theatre.

A spokesperson for Worcester Theatres said: “We are very happy in our current home and will continue to run both the Swan Theatre and Huntingdon Hall for the foreseeable future, bringing a fantastic varied programme of events to Worcester’s city centre.

“While we will not have a role in operating the new Scala venue, we are very pleased the project is continuing to develop and look forward to seeing how the space will be designed and operated as a new arts venue accessible to everyone.

“Perhaps one day even our Worcester Repertory Company may be able to perform there, but of course, until more plans are revealed, it is difficult to say.”

Manchester City Council is calling on residents and cultural organisations to have their say on a new decade-long plan for culture.  

The local authority has said it is keen to understand what types of creativity residents are interested in. It is seeking "ideas big and small" across everything from art, performance, galleries and museums to more hands-on art and craft opportunities.

The current 10-year strategy runs until 2026. The consultation on the new strategy will be open until 30 November 2023.

Luthfur Rahman, Deputy Leader of Manchester City Council, said: “Manchester has a global reputation for arts and culture, bolstered in no small part by the opening of Aviva Studios recently. 

"We are renowned for our nightlife, music and museums and we want to make sure that culture is an integral part of our communities over the next 10 years.  

“This conversation involves everyone – your ideas could be big, they might be small. But they will all help guide culture in our city."

Museums in Glasgow are closed this week due to industrial action taken by staff over plans to cut jobs.

Members of Unison working in Glasgow museums and collections are taking part in five days of strikes, ending on Saturday (28 October), impacting flagship institutions, including Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum and Glasgow Museums Resource Centre.

Unison says that Glasgow Life, an arm's-length organisation that runs the city's art, leisure and culture sector on behalf of the council, proposes 38 job cuts in specialist roles, including gallery curators and conservators.

The union has warned the cuts to conservators could result in a "high-profile accident" to items in the £1.4bn Glasgow Museum collection. "Collections do not look after themselves," a union spokesperson said.

"Deep cleaning of display venues by specialist conservation staff will greatly reduce or completely disappear. World-class textiles at the Burrell Collection, taxidermy specimens at Kelvingrove and other vulnerable organic objects will be at particular risk of pest damage without regular, vigilant cleaning by highly-trained specialists."

Defending the cuts, Glasgow Life said it had to make £7.1m of savings after cuts to its budget from Glasgow City Council which is grappling with a £50m deficit.

Glasgow Life said: “We recognise how valued our museums and collections are to Glasgow’s communities and the city’s international profile, and we understand the concern any changes may cause.

"Wherever possible, we have identified ways of making savings by reducing, rather than losing Glasgow Life services programmes and events; retaining the potential to rebuild them in the future."

"However, we have been saying for some time now that the savings we are making this year add up to around 9% of our annual service fee from the Council and ensure none of our facilities will have to close."

Wirral Council has revealed its plans for the borough’s stint as Liverpool City Region Borough of Culture next year.

Planned events include a permanent public art project in East Wirral, an arts festival in New Brighton and activities carried out by libraries, the Floral Pavillion and Williamson Art Gallery.

A statement from the council says the events “should be a celebration of Wirral people and places and a showcase for its creative communities and the power of culture and heritage in regeneration”.

The council is investing £800,000 in the programme of events, with £200,000 coming from the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, alongside funding from the government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund and Town Deal funds.

Event management and production costs are being outsourced following a £620,000 cut to the council’s budget. Local press has reported those who are receiving grants have been encouraged to get additional funding to “enhance delivery and outcomes”. 

A different Liverpool borough hosts the city region’s borough of culture programme each year. The last time Wirral staged the event was in 2019, while this year’s host is St Helens.

Plans to redevelop performing arts venue The Lemon Tree in Aberdeen are being placed “under review” over funding concerns.

The £8.3m project received the green light from Aberdeen Performing Arts (APA), the organisation which manages the venue alongside another two of the city’s main arts spaces, last summer.

The development of the 550-capacity venue would see its performance space expanded, as well as new rehearsal and studio spaces. 

Aberdeen Council asked for an update on progress during an annual performance report into its arm’s length organisations last week.

When Councillor Marie Boulton asked if APA was moving ahead with the project, Chief Executive Sharon Burgess said: “It’s not off the table, it’s just under review”.

“The ambitions to develop it are still very much at the forefront of our mind,” Burgess said. “However due to the uncertainty around funding, this has been pushed back ever so slightly.”

During the meeting, Burgess also said there wouldn’t be an “immediate impact” to APA following the Scottish government’s decision to reinstate a £6.6m cut to Creative Scotland but added the whole sector could feel a hit in time.