Plans for the future of Bury’s civic halls

The future of Bury’s three civic halls will be determined when the council’s cabinet meets tomorrow (Wed 30 June).

Bury Council currently operates the Elizabethan Suite in Bury, Longfield Suite in Prestwich and Ramsbottom Civic Hall. All three centres operate at a significant loss and are also in need of major financial investment.

They have also been closed for regular bookings since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, and two of them are used as vaccination centres.

The recommendations being presented to cabinet are:

• Ramsbottom Civic Hall - to re-open once its use as a vaccination centre ends and when Covid restrictions allow, without civic catering but allowing outside catering as before. Its long-term future to be considered as part of the ongoing plans to invest in Ramsbottom.

• The Longfield Suite – to be replaced by a new events and community space, as part of the redevelopment of the whole Longfield precinct. It is also proposed to save the venue’s sprung dancefloor to be used at an alternative venue in the borough, and for the memorial wall to be relocated as part of the regeneration and development of Prestwich.

• The Elizabethan Suite - to re-open, once its use as a vaccination centre has ceased and when Covid restrictions allow. The civic catering option will be replaced with the offer to be able to use outside catering, meaning that major functions such as weddings can still be held. In the long term, a cross-party working group will be asked to consider the options for the future of Bury Town Hall and the Elizabethan Suite.

The cabinet report reveals that the three venues operate at an annual loss of £250,000, and a total of £900,000 would be needed to make repairs and to bring them up to modern standard.

Usage of the venues ranges from 30% (Ramsbottom) to 32% (Bury) and 43% (Prestwich).

Councillor Richard Gold, cabinet member for communities, said: “It's great news that the recommendation is to re-open the Elizabethan Suite and Ramsbottom Civic Hall.

“Our civic halls are well established, but they are losing a significant amount of money every year and will also require huge sums to maintain and improve them. This is money which the council simply doesn’t have, after a decade of austerity and the financial challenges facing us in the post-Covid era.

“It is important to acknowledge that alternative uses may come forward from local businesses or the community and, through our regeneration plans for each area, new opportunities may arise that can use these spaces in different ways.”

The full cabinet report can be read at https://councildecisions.bury.gov.uk/documents/s27632/Future%20of%20the%20Civic%20Venues.pdf

ENDS

Press release issued: 29 June 2021.