Lincoln City Council ends supports for Drill Hall

The decision to end council funding for an arts centre is "heartbreaking", according to the venue's trustees.

Lincoln City councillors voted unanimously to end the £187,000 yearly grant to Lincoln Drill Hall from April.

More than 5,000 people had signed a petition urging them to continue supporting the centre which stages theatre, music concerts, comedy shows, community workshops and classes.

However, the council said it was not financially viable in the long-term.

Phil Hamlyn Williams, chair of trustees at Lincoln Drill Hall, said he understood the council was in a difficult financial position.

"I just feel desperately, desperately sad, it's heartbreaking, it's an institution that has done so much good for the city."

He said his main priority would be to speak to the centre's 18 staff.

The council's executive were told by officers the Drill Hall's current business model was unsustainable before the coronavirus pandemic.

It also remained unclear what the effect of the pandemic would have and for it continue to operate on its current business model significant additional funding would be needed.

This would impact on the council's ability to balance its own budget, as annual savings of between £1m and £1.5m would be needed in future years.

Ric Metcalfe, the council's leader, said it had been a very "difficult decision" to make.

"I hope people will understand that this situation we find ourselves in is not of the council's making."

Mr Hamlyn Williams said the decision meant the venue could not continue in its current form.

He said government support schemes for arts venues affected by the pandemic would require them to show they were financially stable in the long-term.

"Without the council funding I can't see how we can do that," he said.

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