The Stage

Dodd out to save Worthing three

Published Tuesday 20 January 2004 at 12:35 by Sally Bramley

Ken Dodd has joined a campaign to stop the three Worthing theatres from being closed by their cash-strapped local authority owner.

Worthing Borough Council is conducting a survey asking residents whether they would rather pay an extra 35p per week in council tax - a rise of 14.3% for the average household - or face losing either all or at least one of the town’s three venues. These number the Connaught theatre, the Pavilion and the Assembly Rooms, as well as the local museum, art gallery, Aquarena swimming pool and public toilets.

High-profile protests by performers, including the cast of the Worthing panto and Dodd, who appears at the Pavilion every year, have been organised to encourage the public to save the venues.

Peter Bailey, theatres manager, said: “The council is doing the survey prior to setting the council tax for the new year. Any cuts would affect the advertising budget first because the council has contracts with performers for the rest of the year. The theatres would close after Christmas.

“The three venues we have got are all very different. This year we had a total attendance of 419,000 people and our Christmas season saw 73,000 people, which includes the biggest audience at our two pantomimes. We would not be able to fit all we do into two venues. They all add to the quality of the town. Without them, it would lose its character.”

The three theatres are currently directly funded by the borough council. The Connaught stages drama and is the only building with a fly tower in the town. The Assembly Hall hosts concerts, while the Pavilion produces one-off shows, presents comedians and also caters for local groups.

Councillors claim a government increase in funding of 2.8% is not enough to cover the increased costs of running Worthing’s amenities.

Leader of the council, Sheila Player said: “The government has placed the council in a very difficult situation. They have given us a paltry increase in our grant, while expecting us to take on more responsibilities and improve services. Then they threaten to cap the council’s expenditure if our council tax increase is higher than the figure they are looking for.

“We are therefore seeking the views of our residents on what level of increase they wish to see and which services they would prefer to see cut if a 14.3% increase is considered unacceptable.”

A spokeswoman for the council said the public support for the theatres had been incredible but added without that support, the decision on which theatre to close would come down to economics.

“In the end it is whichever venue we can do with out,” she said. The consultation will end on January 30 and a final decision will be taking at a council meeting on February 19.