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Asbestos Situation Update
July 23rd
What's the latest?
The Nuneaton & Bedworth Borough
Council held a meeting of the Culture, Recreation, Health & Environment
Overview & Scrutiny Committee (phew!) on Tuesday 22nd July at which the
report (see below) was discussed and four options
considered by those present.
The meeting was preceded by a walk round
at the theatre by most of the committee members to familiarise themselves with
the building and the hurdles in front of the Arts Council. This was also our
first opportunity to meet the new NBBC Arts Development Officer - Ms Lorna
Cloke.
An opportunity was granted for members
of the public and of affiliated groups to attend this meeting, and a large
number of interested parties turned out to offer their support. These included
(in no particular order) the Abbey Players, Rabble Youth Theatre, the Rose
Theatre group, PR Productions, the Encephalitis Support Youth Group, the Julie
Bromage Dance Academy, George Eliot Hospital Panto Society, the Bromwell Academy
of Dance, and Bedworth Arts Centre. My apologies if I missed anyone! Many of
those groups fielded a representative who stood and gave a short message in
support of the Arts Council and the theatre. I believe that it was those
messages coupled with the stream of letters and e-mails sent to the councillors
that influenced the whole meeting. I was told by one councillor that he'd had
more communications on the subject of the Abbey than he'd had over the
controversial wheelie bin saga!!
Thank you again to EVERYONE
who wrote or spoke in support of the Abbey Theatre!
WELL DONE!
Anyway, the end result of the meeting
was that there was a unanimous decision to recommend that the Cabinet (meeting
on August 27th) accept option 1 from the proposals, which essentially means that
we would get the funding we require to put the Abbey Theatre back together again
and allow us to re-open as soon as possible. Furthermore, the recommendation
included the proposal to set up an immediate working party to look at the long
term plans for the Arts in general and specifically your Arts Centre, and to
have the borough Arts Development Plan (currently sadly out of date) revised and
republished.
So - the light at the end of the tunnel
is glowing significantly brighter at the moment!
To mis-quote another metaphor, though, the fat lady hasn't yet sung..... Following
their decision (whichever way it goes) there will be a ten day call-in period
from the date that the minutes are circulated to full council, during which any
other councillor may 'call' that decision and have the matter discussed
again.
However, the fat lady's dulcet tones may be heard resounding through the backstage dressing
rooms, and we fully expect her to burst forth into rapturous and operatic arias
on or around September 1st, when the NBBC have promised a final decision!!
Keep up with the support - if you haven't yet written to the
NBBC, there's still time - e-mail the
Cabinet
members - they still have to vote on the final outcome. Hopefully before too
much longer we can welcome everyone back to the hallowed halls of the Abbey for
good!
THANKS AGAIN!
Tony Deeming
Chair, Nuneaton Arts Council
NBBC
Report to the Culture, Recreation, Health & Environment Overview &
Scrutiny Committee
NUNEATON AND BEDWORTH BOROUGH COUNCIL
Report to: Culture, Recreation, Health &
Environment Overview & Scrutiny
Committee - 22nd July 2003
From: Environmental Services Director
Subject: NUNEATON ARTS CENTRE
Portfolio: Culture & Recreation (Councillor
A.A. Lloyd)
Finance & Civic Affairs (Councillor D.
Harvey)
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Purpose of Report
Council Minute 526 of the Cabinet meeting on the
21st May 2003 resolved that: "the Culture, Recreation, Health
& Environment OSC be asked to consider the options to enable the Nuneaton
Arts Centre Committee to continue, and the longer term provision of Arts in the
Borough, and report back to Cabinet by 1st September 2003".
2. Recommendation
That the OSC Committee considers the options
outlined and provides proposals to the Special Cabinet meeting scheduled for 27th
August 2003.
-
Background
-
The two previous confidential Cabinet
Reports, 7th May 2003 and 21st May 2003, that
provided information and costings with regards to Nuneaton Arts Centre,
have been circulated to OSC Members prior to today’s meeting.
-
In a supplemental report provided by the
Chairman of Nuneaton Arts Council on 21st May 2003, the
estimated usage at the Nuneaton Arts Centre for the period April 2002 –
March 2003 was:
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35 events, covering over 70 evenings
performances.
-
1,700 members of user groups performing on
stage.
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22,000 visitors to the building as paying
members of an audience.
-
The decisions of Cabinet on 21st
May 2003 (Minute No. 526), are reproduced below.
a. subject to it being established that
Nuneaton Arts Centre can safely be used, without prejudice, the Council
will meet the regular monthly commitments of the Arts Centre (on
production of invoices) up to 1st September 2003, insofar as
is necessary to enable the use of the Arts Centre;
b. the Culture, Recreation, Health &
Environment OSC be asked to consider the options to enable the Nuneaton
Arts Centre Committee to continue, and the longer term provision of Arts
in the Borough, and report back to Cabinet by 1st September
2003, and
c. a further report be submitted to a
future meeting of the Cabinet on the implementation of the Corporate
Property Maintenance Programme including the prioritisation and extent
of works necessary following the condition survey reports carried out in
October 2001.
4. Short Term Interim funding
4.1 One of the decisions of Cabinet following
the meeting of 21st May 2003 was that support be given to fund
Utility services for the Arts Centre (Minute No. 526), for an interim period
up to 1st September 2003.
4.2 Cost implications for this period to
cover the regular monthly commitments for Utility bills, etc., are estimated
at £1,429.60 per month, totalling £7,148.00 for the 5 month period 1st
April to 31st August 2003.
4.3 Officers and representatives from
Nuneaton Arts Centre have met and agreed a process for this financial
support to be put in place.
5. Proposals
The options below represent a range of
proposals for the Nuneaton Arts Centre and Arts provision. A range of
diverse options are provided that Members may wish to consider.
6. Option 1 -
Short
Term
6.1 Provide financial capital support (as
detailed in Cabinet Report - 21st May 2003, section 5) of
£75,000 to allow Nuneaton Arts Centre to re-open and continue its existing
programme, with the re-instatement works including; new seats, redecoration,
lights and sound system undertaken.
6.2 Capital monies for the re-opening will
need to be identified. As part of this option the existing agreement will
need to be reviewed. A revised lease will then need to be accepted by both
parties.
6.3 Further capital works costing £631,000,
as detailed by the Allen Cavanagh Partnership survey, would still need to be
identified to upgrade and maintain the Centre (as detailed in Cabinet Report
– 7th May 2003, section 4) over a 10-year period.
7. Option 2 - Medium Term
7.1 As per option 1, but with a commitment
from the Council to invest in future capital spending, therefore upgrading
the existing Nuneaton Arts Centre to assist with its long-term success and
financial security.
7.2 The financial contribution from N&BBC
be utilised to potentially secure match funding from external sources. The
Arts Council lottery fund could be one potential source.
8. Option 3 - Short-Medium Term
8.1 The relocation of the Nuneaton Arts
Centre’s activities to the Bedworth Civic Hall. Discussions would be
initiated as to the possible merger of the Nuneaton Arts Centre operations
with the Bedworth Arts Centre. Benefits of a merger would include;
Having one base will reduce overheads and
running costs. This money could be used in other areas. Other Community
Centres could be used throughout the borough for outreach projects.
8.2 The Nuneaton Arts Centre’s existing
user groups would continue to utilise and operate from a wide variety of
community venues throughout the Borough and these Groups would be encouraged
to work in partnership with the Authority, to continually improve the
quality of service on offer to residents of the Borough.
8.3 The existing Nuneaton Arts Centre land
would then be available, as detailed in Cabinet Report – 7th
May 2003, section 3.2.
9. Option 4 - Medium-Long Term
9.1 A partnership be developed between the
Nuneaton Arts Centre and a suitable secondary school, allowing their
operations to be run from this site. Secondary schools are the only
facilities within the Borough that will be able to provide the appropriate
levels of space including stage, seating and accommodation.
9.2 Positive exploratory talks have taken
place with Manor Park Community School as it is their aim to apply to become
a Specialist College Status for the Performing Arts in the future. This is
an extremely exciting opportunity, and a partnership with the Authority and
the Arts Centre would be most welcomed by the School.
9.3 There is some precedent for the Council
supporting the Arts in this way. For example, Etone Community School
received a grant of £35,000 in 1989 from the Council to upgrade the stage
lighting, seating, car parking, toilets and disabled access.
9.4 Further consultation and investigation
will be required to pursue this option along with exploratory talks with
other secondary schools in the borough.
9.5 The existing Nuneaton Arts Centre land
would then be available, as detailed in 8.3 above.
10. Long-Term Provision of the Arts
10.1 It is difficult to determine the options
prior to the adoption of the Cultural Strategy and a review of the Arts
Development Plan. The current Arts Development Plan is out of date but steps
have to been taken to rectify this with the appointment of a new Arts
Development Officer on 30th June 2003, and financial support
secured from the Arts Council for strategic development. The intention is to
produce a new 5-year Arts Development Plan detailing the way forward for ‘The
Arts in Nuneaton & Bedworth’, to be launched during 2004.
10.2 Findings from the Warwickshire Cultural
Strategy, which is soon to be adopted, would be incorporated into the Arts
Development Plan, and subsequently this will feed into the new Community
Plan for Nuneaton & Bedworth.
10.3 It is proposed that a draft version of
the Arts Development Plan be presented to this Committee for their
consideration and comments.
10.4 The future agreement as to the way
forward for the Nuneaton Arts Centre will be incorporated into the Arts
Development Plan.
10.5 The overall purpose of the Arts
Development Plan will be to provide a clear vision as to ‘How the Arts can
assist in improving the quality of life in Nuneaton & Bedworth’.
11. Conclusions
11.1 The choice of option will determine how
long the Arts Centre will remain closed and how much further consultation
and developments will be required.
11.2 The options outlined above would provide
the basis of a steer for Cabinet in assisting to determine the future
"direction" of Arts provision and more specifically the provision
by the Nuneaton Arts Council of Arts from the current or another location.
Following such proposals, clearly further work would be necessary in many
instances to consider the logistics and legislation of such proposals.
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The
Abbey Theatre & Arts Centre
