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A beloved theatre may be left with "no panto, no magic and no wonder" after the local authority takes over its running, a councillor has warned.
Questions are being asked about how Maidstone Borough Council (MBC) will operate the Hazlitt, and what could be lost, after it announced plans to take back control of the venue to save money, thanks to the toll coronavirus has taken on its finances.
The council plans to terminate its contract with company Parkwood Theatres, who it pays a £243,000 subsidy to for running the theatre, which has been closed to audiences since March.
Fears grew over the weekend that the town institution would close for good after MBC conducted a private session, excluding the public, where the the Hazlitt's future was discussed.
This prompted an outpouring of support and concern from the public, councillors and Maidstone and the Weald MP Helen Grant.
However, the council sought to reassure the public that it intends for the venue to reopen with live show and space for the many community groups who use it.
It is not yet known when that will be because of the uncertainty around coronavirus restrictions and the theatre will be mothballed until MBC judges it can be reopened.
But, the decision to terminate the contract will be reviewed by MBC's policy and resources committee on Wednesday, November 25, after a group of councillors called it in.
Cllr Jonathan Purle, who drafted the challenge, said: "Almost every councillor I’ve spoken with wants the Hazlitt Theatre to re-open post-pandemic. But you can’t run a substantial business like a theatre on the basis of wishful thinking alone. And that’s all there is here.
“If you terminate the theatre operator, fire all 40 staff and let council officers take the budget to balance the council’s books, how then do you re-open it?
"How then do you put on a professional production like the Christmas panto? It can take years to build a decent working team like this and you certainly can’t do it for free."
Cllr Harper, chairman of the economic, regeneration and leisure committee, which made the controversial decision, said the council is not in a position to employ the Hazlitt staff currently with Parkwood Theatres. More than 40 people work there.
Cllr Purle was speaking after the minutes of the discussion, held in private by the economic, regeneration and leisure committee were published.
The minutes read: "The committee recognised that opportunities to resume services from the Hazlitt Theatre complex would be considered in the future, given its importance to the borough."
It was resolved that "alternative uses, in the short and medium term, be looked into."
Cllr Harper spoke of the venue hosting"alternative uses" yesterday to Kent Online, hinting that this could last up to a year.
But he said the ambition was to reopen the Hazlitt with "vibrant" theatre when they could.
However, Cllr Purle questioned the lack of details in the minutes about the council's reopening plans.
"The danger is that the council will fire the theatre operators now and in a few years’ time re-open little more than an expensive church hall - with no panto, no magic and no wonder.”
“If the council is genuine about wanting to re-open the Hazlitt post-pandemic, they either need a professional operator in situ or they need a real plan & budget. These meeting minutes tell us that they’ll have neither.”
The contract to run the theatre was awarded to Parkwood Leisure, the company which includes Parkwood Theatres, in 2013. It was a move predicted to save the taxpayer £3.2m over 15 years.
However, the council say the decision to terminate the contract has been made to protect the taxpayer and the Hazlitt.
Because of the extra pressures created by the pandemic, the council faces an overspend for the current financial year, so cannot afford to continue paying for a closed theatre, it says.
Maidstone council faces a budget gap of more than £2 million for next year and will be looking at where it can save money, with Cllr Harper predicting cuts to services.
The council's current budget for the theatre is £284,000 a year, £243,000 of which is paid to Parkwood Theatres, the rest on the building which the council leases.
