by business editor Trevor Sturgess

A leisure management company is poised to run the County Town’s theatre and save council taxpayers £3 million over the next 15 years.

The curtain is set to rise on a new era after Maidstone council accepted a tender from Parkwood Leisure - one of two it received - to run the 350-seat Hazlitt Theatre, the Exchange studio and other facilities.

Parkwood Leisure is the preferred bidder and could take over at the theatre complex by the end of the year.

The council expects extra income generated by new audiences and cost savings through Parkwood Leisure’s buying power to save £3.2 million over the course of the 15 year contract.

The company would look for business support and explore “new opportunities for partnerships.”

The firm has proposed new shows and acts while continuing to support many of the existing ones.

It will focus on community use of the theatre and run community activities such as the MELA and Proms in the Park.

Parkwood Leisure was founded in 1995, and now runs 84 facilities on behalf of 25 local authority clients.

It has a turnover of £70 million and employs more than 4,500 people. It manages the Winter Gardens Pavilion and Playhouse Theatre in Weston-super-Mare, and The Hawth Theatre in Crawley.

Joanne Martin, sales and marketing director, said: “Parkwood Leisure is delighted to have been selected as the preferred bidder to operate the Hazlitt Arts Centre and looks forward to bringing the local community a wide range of entertainment events, diverse cultural programmes, and a new calendar of special events that will draw in new audiences and engage fully with the community at large.”

The firm would create local jobs, apprenticeships and graduate placements.

The council’s cabinet member for economic and commercial development, Malcolm Greer, added: “Parkwood Leisure’s business plan was the best for theatre goers and the tax payer.

"I am confident that Parkwood will deliver a noticeable improvement to service levels at the Hazlitt Arts Centre and reduce the bottom line cost for Maidstone council tax payers.”

Staff who wish to transfer to Parkwood Leisure would be able to do so under the same terms and conditions, he said.