Possible job cuts and a change in the shows on offer are likely to be made to save £61,000 a year at The Woodville.

Gravesham council has decided on the changes it will probably make to the running costs of the Gravesend theatre.

In March, the council’s cabinet voted in favour of restructuring and potentially reducing what was offered by the popular venue rather than closing it down, which was another option considered.

Officers then spent time working out how much money could be saved by various options and the cabinet discussed the matter again last week.

Members agreed the theatre, next to the council offices, off Wrotham Road, would continue to host shows and be used by the community but said they would be “negotiating deals for shows and events” as one way of saving money.

A review of the staffing structure will take place and the council admitted this could result in some redundancies.

They will also look at the food and drink products sold within the theatre to see whether ones that are not “competitive” can be re-priced or no longer sold.

The measures are predicted to save a combined total of £41,000.

An additional £20,000 will be saved by bringing the box office service back “in-house” rather than paying an external company to sell tickets, the council added.

Council leader David Turner said: “The Woodville is a valued community venue and there are no plans to close it. We are proud to deliver a creative and diverse programme from pantomime to cutting edge comedy, and theatre favourites such as live screenings, main stream cinema and family entertainment.

"We plan to continue to do this. The purpose of the review is to establish the strategic direction of The Woodville for the next five years, so that we can deliver this varied, well-loved programme in the most efficient way offering the best value for money for Gravesham residents.”

The council said previously it needs to make savings of £10,000 per working day from the 2019-20 financial year onwards due to a reduction in the amount of money it receives from central government.

If the authority was to freeze council tax and not make any savings it would face an income reduction of £1.64 million, it announced several months ago.

The council’s government support grant will evaporate in 2019, meaning a reduction of £5 million in annual income compared to 2010, when austerity measures were first introduced.