Two-day hearing to consider Brixton Academy future

exterior of Brixton Academy
04 Sep 2023

Met Police want Lambeth Council to revoke venue operator's licence, claiming issues that led to tragic crush incident last year are yet to be addressed.

Oldham Coliseum: Plans for new £24m theatre submitted

An artists' impression of the atrium at the proposed new theatre in Oldham
01 Sep 2023

Detailed plans for new theatre in Oldham submitted as report into circumstances surrounding closure of Oldham Coliseum identifies factors relating to its controversial loss of funding.

Funding boost for arts and culture in Salford

31 Aug 2023

Salford City Council has set aside a total of £475,000 for arts, culture, and heritage with money from the UK government's Shared Prosperity Fund.

Under the scheme voluntary and community organisations will be able to bid for money for projects celebrating the city’s arts, culture and heritage.

The funds are being managed by Salford CVS and applications for grants of up to £10,000 are open until noon on Monday 9 October.

Salford City Council secured the funding after submitting proposals to Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), which manages the fund in the city-region.

Councillor David Molyneux, Greater Manchester’s lead for Resources and Investment and leader of Wigan Council said: “Putting local authorities at the forefront of the funding allows those working at the heart of communities to engage with local people and ensure funds can be spent in a way to deliver maximum benefit."

Salford City Mayor, Paul Dennett, said: “We’re looking forward to bringing our proposals to life for the benefit of local people and visitors to our vibrant city.”

Derby venue launches fundraising appeal for urgent repairs

30 Aug 2023

An arts venue in Derby is trying to raise funds for urgent repairs.

The Quad cinema and gallery, which recently received an emergency loan of £150,000 from the city council to help it with rising energy costs, said it needs to raise £30,000.

An online appeal launched in July has so far attracted just under £2,500.

The venue said the loan from Derby City Council was "really helpful" but that the site, which opened in 2008, is "suffering from wear and tear".

Quad's management team explained: "We really need to update specific equipment to improve accessibility for all our customers and also to remain as environmentally sustainable and efficient as possible.

"This fundraising is critical for us to raise money to replace equipment in Quad which is outdated or nearing replacement, in order to keep our facilities up to standard."

Work to begin on new arts centre in Lincoln

30 Aug 2023

The conversion of a former hotel in Lincoln into an arts centre will begin this autumn, with financial support from the government’s levelling-up initiative.

Plans to redevelop the disused Barbican Hotel, which has been empty since 2008, include the creation of freelance art studios, a public gallery and a café.

Originally built as a Victorian gentleman’s club, the transformation of the Grade II listed building is one of several regeneration schemes being financed through a £19m levelling up grant secured by Lincoln City Council in 2020. 

It is being led by a partnership between between Lincolnshire Co-operative and the University of Lincoln.
 
In total the project is set to cost £3.3m and is due to open next summer. Of this £1.7m comes from the government funding with the rest being put forward by City of Lincoln Council and Historic England.

Sally Denton, the Executive Director of Barbican Creative Hub at the University of Lincoln, said the project was making “exciting progress”.

"Following on from the initial exterior stonework renovations, work will commence shortly on phase two of the project, which will see the interior of the building being fully refurbished whilst celebrating the heritage of this iconic building," she said.

Oldham Coliseum Theatre begins 'new chapter'

22 Aug 2023

Together with Stand and Be Counted Theatre, Oldham Coliseum Theatre company will deliver an immersive audio event in two of the town’s parks.

Sheffield nightclub lobbies new council leader for support

21 Aug 2023

Sheffield's live music venue, The Leadmill, has launched a campaign to save it from closure that has resulted in more than 5,000 supporters emailing Tom Hunt, the new leader of Sheffield City Council.

Hunt, who has been in post less than three months, has yet to publicly express an opinion about the 'hostile' takeover of The Leadmill, 

The Leadmill's campaign - dubbed ‘Battle for the Soul of Sheffield’ - is calling on Hunt to back its bid to save the historic venue and has asked supporters to lobby him via email or postcard or by using the #TellTom hashtag on Twitter/X.

“This isn’t just about The Leadmill,” a spokesperson from the venue said. “Everything that’s made our city what it is today is at stake. 

“It may start with us, but it goes much further than that. If we don’t stop this hostile takeover, the very soul and character of our great city is at risk.”

The spokesperson said that the venue’s 80 staff members were “all so tired of the ongoing situation”, adding that “time and energy is being spent on trying to retain our jobs and The Leadmill”.
 
Hunt “of all people, should know that this hostile takeover risks fundamentally and forever changing the course of our city, heritage, and culture”, the person said.

Wolverhampton receives £996k for youth arts programme

A young woman playing guitar and singing into a microphone
17 Aug 2023

Three-year calendar of arts and culture activities will involve around 1,500 young people in co-design and engage more than 23,000 children.

Bristol Council criticised for delayed Beacon report

15 Aug 2023

Bristol City Council has said it will miss a deadline for a lessons learned report into its budget-busting refurbishment of a city centre concert hall.

External auditors Grant Thornton had called on the council to issue a report "as soon as possible" and prior to the completion of the Bristol Beacon project, which has seen costs rise steeply from £48m to £132m. 

The venue is set to reopen to the public in November, but the council has admitted that its full report will not be published until February 2024.

Grant Thornton criticised the council for “underestimating the complexity and difficulty” of the project, resulting in the spiralling costs.

Council management said its review exercise began at the end of June and is “designed to provide critical lessons learned and stimulate important insights".

When it reopens, the council-owned venue will be managed by the charity Bristol Music Trust.

Oldham Coliseum gets funding for theatre performances

An artists' impression of the new theatre venue in Oldham - scheduled to be completed by 2026
15 Aug 2023

Company unveils plans to operate on a smaller scale in non-theatre spaces ahead of moving to a new venue in 2026.

£300k boost for Bradford City of Culture

14 Aug 2023

Bradford’s City of Culture team has been awarded £300,000 by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority.

At is most recent meeting, the authority approved the funding which will go towards building capacity for the city’s year of events in 2025.

According to local press, the latest investment will help 15 organisations with capacity building and training, develop approximately 30 events, and create some 10 jobs and 200 volunteering opportunities.

At the meeting, Bradford Council leader Susan Hinchcliffe said: "It will create a long lasting impact for the residents of Bradford - that’s what we want City of Culture to be."

The funding follows a £20m cash injection from government, Arts Council England and the National Lottery Heritage Fund announced last month.

Glasgow Council considers £36m People’s Palace refurb

14 Aug 2023

A proposal to ‘restore, reimagine and enhance’ the 125-year-old People’s Palace and Winter Gardens claims structural damage is putting its collection at risk.

Fringe operator ‘facing collapse’ over £1.5m debt

People standing near the Assembly box office at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival
09 Aug 2023

Assembly Festival, which operates a major venue at Edinburgh Fringe and delivers around a fifth of the annual festival, is set to run out of money by the end of the year.

Edinburgh Fringe performers criticise 'poster censorship'

08 Aug 2023

Performers at this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe claim posters advertising their shows are being censored or defaced as the rules surrounding promotional materials are more strictly enforced.

The Guardian reports that Out of Hand, the printers who produce the posters for shows at the fringe, are required to check all promotional images with Edinburgh city council before proceeding to print. 

Obscenity has always been banned, but this year’s performers say that attitudes to nudity, swearing and sexual content have become stricter. According to Out of Hand’s Commercial Director Nigel Muntz the rules have not changed, but are being “enforced with more rigour”.

Posters that have fallen prey to censorship include images of a line of bare buttocks and a large pair of breasts. A children’s drag performer and an American actress whose show title included a swear word have also had their promotional materials altered.

Producer Richard Lambert, who was asked to pixilate the five pairs of bare buttocks on one of his posters, said that the matter was resolved “amicably but after a minor battle”. He said that similar posters had been approved in previous years.

“We’re sanitising arts and culture,” he said.

County Durham theatre to close due to repair costs

01 Aug 2023

The Alun Armstrong Theatre in County Durham is set to close this week due to repair costs that outstrip the town council’s budget.

Stanley Town Council, which leases the premises from Durham County Council, said the theatre no longer meets health and safety requirements due to problems including broken boilers, a leaking roof and damp.

The council said it was told that it would cost more than £100,000 to replace the boiler system, which would be “outside the realms of [its] financial capabilities”, the BBC reported.

“In addition to this, the roof in areas needs replacing, there is flooding in the cellar, damp throughout and the sewage blocks up regularly,” it said.

“Unfortunately, the building is not as it was in its heyday. However, the town council has endeavoured to keep the building open to the public and service users for as long as possible.”

It said it had given notice on the lease in February and would “look forward to investing into the community more without the burden of paying for a large, aged building”.

The theatre has been operating at the venue within Stanley Civic Hall since 1961. 

Local amateur dramatics groups expressed fears that members would be left with nowhere to perform once the venue closes. Chair of Oxhill Youth Club Gale Wilson called the closing of the theatre “the death knell for the town”.

Building owner Durham County Council said that it was assessing options. 

“Until the lease ends, any operational decisions regarding the building, including its use by community groups, are made by the town council,” said the council’s Asset Strategy and Property Manager Anna Wills

“We know the building is used and valued by the community and any feedback from the public will be carefully considered in determining the site's future.

“We are currently working with the town council to carry out surveys of the building to identify any repairs or investment that may be needed to make it suitable for future community use and we will not be making any formal decisions until these assessments are complete.”
 

Arts group takes on lease of historic Bristol baths

31 Jul 2023

A community arts group has secured a 35-year lease for a historic Bristol building following a campaign to save it. 

The BBC reports that Jacob's Wells Baths in Hotwells, Bristol, opened in 1889 when it was used as a bathhouse for the poor, but closed in the late 1970s.

Trinity Community Arts has now agreed a 35-year guardianship lease for the building after plans to turn it back into a public pool were abandoned earlier this year due to the pandemic and rising costs.

The group, which runs an arts, performance and music venue in the city hopes to turn the building into a community hub.

It said the agreement "marks the first step in the preservation and restoration of the building".

Rachel McNally, Chair of Hotwells and Cliftonwood Community Association said: "We are delighted that the council listened to local people and everyone who campaigned to save Jacob's Wells Baths for community use.

"We can't wait to fill Jacob's Wells Baths with people, art, performance, music, laughter and friendship for years to come."

Boost to creative opportunities for young people in Newham

25 Jul 2023

Newham Council and the University of East London (UEL) have announced a partnership aimed at increasing cultural and creative opportunities for young people in the area.

The partnership, based at Stratford Youth Zone, will see a £733,000-a-year investment go towards supporting creative and performing arts opportunities in Newham.

The venue will host social and emotional learning programmes, along with activities focused on drama, music, dance, fashion, games design, filmmaking, screenwriting and visual and digital arts. 

The programme will also include education workshops led by art students from UEL and the university will draw on staff and student expertise in education, youth work, social work, business, events and hospitality to involve young people – particularly those deemed disadvantaged and at-risk – in research and the production of arts activities. 

The partnership will also seek to make available opportunities for young people to undertake work placements, mentorships, internships and apprenticeships offering experience and paths to career opportunities in the creative industries.

“Providing exemplary youth service provision is a central objective of my administration because we want Newham to be the best place for a child and young person to grow up, so that they reach their potential and thrive,” said Mayor of Newham Rokhsana Fiaz.

“Through this pioneering collaboration with the University of East London, the Council’s Youth Empowerment Service will progress with its ambitious plans to offer a range of enriching and empowering opportunities for young people through an exciting curriculum anchored in culture, creativity and the arts.”

Oldham approves plans for public arts space

25 Jul 2023

The council’s latest addition to its Cultural Quarter is an outdoor arts space to facilitate arts classes and theatre performances.

Oldham receives ACE funding for cultural activity

20 Jul 2023

Oldham Coliseum Theatre company to play role in cultural activity over the next three years ahead of new theatre opening in the town.

Barbican receives £25m for upgrade works

20 Jul 2023

Renewal works will transform underused spaces within the Barbican Centre for new creative use, as well as improving existing venues and public spaces.

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