Museum and theatre closure in cost-cutting plan

A theatre and museum are being lined up for closure as part of measures to cut costs at a local authority in Staffordshire.

Cannock Chase District Council said plans to close the Museum of Cannock Chase and the Prince of Wales Theatre formed part of budget measures which would protect essential frontline services.

The authority said it was facing a £1.3m shortfall in its 2025/26 budget - which pays for services including waste collection, street cleaning and looking after parks and open spaces.

The council’s leaders are due to discuss the proposals at a meeting on Thursday.

A draft survey of the theatre and museum found they will require significant expenditure due to the condition of both buildings.

The theatre was due to temporarily close for up to two years from the spring, as part of proposals to develop a cultural hub, but it is now set to close permanently under the plans due to be discussed.

The council’s leisure and cultural provision is currently run by Inspiring Healthy Lifestyles (IHL) which includes management of the museum and theatre as well as the leisure centres at Cannock and Rugeley.

Closing the museum and theatre would save the council more than £350,000 a year, bosses said.

Council leader Tony Johnson said it was one of the hardest decisions he had been involved in as a councillor, adding his family association with the museum sites goes back generations.

He added the alternatives included introducing “taxes that would hit every household, including those already struggling to make ends meet” or reducing other council services.

“One of our top priorities is to be a responsible authority that lives within its means and is accountable for its actions,” he said.

“This is especially important to remember when you see other councils across the country effectively going bankrupt and having to shut swimming pools or ask for permission to raise taxes significantly.”

Mr Johnson added if councillors agreed to the planned closures, there would be a consultation which residents could comment on before a final decision would be taken in February.

Leisure and cultural functions are non-statutory, meaning local authorities are not legally obliged to provide them.

The local authority said funding received from government had fallen by millions of pounds in real terms over the last 10 years.

Council bosses have promised to work with community groups and organisations who use the theatre to find alternatives for local productions and activities.

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