Leicester City Council rules out private operator for De Montfort Hall
A controversial plan to put De Montfort Hall in the hands of a private operator has been ruled out.
Leicester City Council's ruling Labour group rejected the part-privatisation of the city's flagship concert venue in a behind-closed-doors meeting.
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De Montfort Hall, Leicester
A previously undisclosed proposal to rip out the hall's organ to make way for new scenery-shifting equipment was also rejected by councillors.
However, cutting the Philharmonia Orchestra's hall residency and asking amateur and community groups to move elsewhere remain options on the table as the authority grapples with an annual £600,000 budget deficit.
Former interim manager and theatre management consultant Hazel Clover suggested outsourcing the hall after being asked by the council to look at ways of bringing it back into the black.
A major private theatre operator could be brought on board to run the hall for roughly half the current £1.3 million yearly cost to the council, she advised.
It would also pick up the liability for any losses and could potentially bring bigger shows.
A council insider told the Mercury an "overwhelming majority" of Labour members opposed such a move.
Council leader Veejay Patel said the decision was an "overwhelming consensus".
He said: "People did have very strong views about outsourcing.
"My position is quite clear. We cannot keep overspending by the level we do, year on year."
Part-privatisation is no longer an option, he said. That may change if the hall's books cannot be balanced in the next year or two.
"If we are not going to go for the outsourcing option then it (the hall) has to come in line with the budget," he said.
Officers have now been asked to continue to look at ways of increasing the hall's income and driving down costs.
Former council leader Ross Willmott was among those who opposed part-privatisation.
They won the day, he said, because members were not convinced a commercial company could raise more revenue or put on a better programme.
Such claims were "more in hope than expectation", said Coun Willmott, and were not supported by the artistic programmes of privately-run venues circulated in the meeting. Cutting the Philharmonia's hall residency from nine nights to six and asking some amateur groups to go elsewhere have been proposed to free up space for more money-spinning shows and bands. Tory opposition leader Ross Grant blamed "old Labour dogma" for squashing the part-privatisation proposal.
Putting the hall in the hands of a private company was the best option to "secure the long-term viability of the venue", he said.
"If we could get a private operator, that could take away some of the risk and possibly allow us to focus our increasingly limited resources on supporting things such as the Philharmonia and other events.
"I don't see we have either the capital or the budget to support the hall. Ruling out options before properly investigating them is just dogmatic."
22 Comments
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by Adam Clarke, Aylestone
Tuesday, November 23 2010, 2:13PM
“http://tinyurl.com/3x6gb6p
Nice to see my views were taken on board by the Labour Group.”
by steven, Leicester
Tuesday, November 23 2010, 12:50PM
“Someone around here seems to have "narcissistic public sector arrogance disorder". It's treatable by going out and getting a job in the real world and talking to people other than similar suffrerers. Can I have the last word this time please!”
by j, leic
Tuesday, November 23 2010, 11:54AM
“"I'm sure you could afford £10 a week extra J because you are more than likely some freeloading public sector worker on easy street living off my back.Not in the real world mate!
steve, Leicester "
Good luck with that one mate, not sure how well your comments will go down with those well known free-loaders the fire service, soldiers, police, nurses, etc!!!! ;-)”
by steve, Leicester
Tuesday, November 23 2010, 10:33AM
“I'm sure you could afford £10 a week extra J because you are more than likely some freeloading public sector worker on easy street living off my back.Not in the real world mate!”
by j, leic
Monday, November 22 2010, 11:56PM
“"Also, they could save a small fortune by reducing the heating - every time I attend an event there, the place is grossly overheated.
D., Leicester "
Like every public sector organisation I've ever worked in. The heating literally comes on in September. People actually have the windows open in October to let the heat out just because of a small group of middle aged women.”
by j, leic
Monday, November 22 2010, 11:54PM
“"Well, I think council tax should be reduced to 1997 levels then linked to inflation to bring it up to date. People will realise how much they've been ripped off by the reds when they know it should be approximately half as much as it is. We just cannot afford to subsidise lame ducks like the DeMont.
Steve, Leicester "
Absolute balls. We can should pay more tax, especially at present. £10 a week each, we wouldn't even feel it.”
by D., Leicester
Monday, November 22 2010, 10:15PM
“DMH would work better if the events it hosts were marketed properly. For years the marketing has been managed by people who didn't know what they were doing, particularly in the classical music area. This is an area which, although not to the tastes of everybody, is part of the culture of this city and country and should be maintained by being managed properly.
Also, they could save a small fortune by reducing the heating - every time I attend an event there, the place is grossly overheated.”
by Steve, Leicester
Monday, November 22 2010, 8:30PM
“Well, I think council tax should be reduced to 1997 levels then linked to inflation to bring it up to date. People will realise how much they've been ripped off by the reds when they know it should be approximately half as much as it is. We just cannot afford to subsidise lame ducks like the DeMont.”
by hmmm, Leicester
Monday, November 22 2010, 6:41PM
“I am quite disgusted with the fact that some think it is great and acceptable to sell off assets to the private sector. I congratulate the current council for keeping this fine establishment open. I hope the management of it improves though.”
by j, leic
Monday, November 22 2010, 5:37PM
“Steve and Kulgan, we have all ready ascertained that the depth and method of implementing the "austerity measures" is all about political ideology and nothing to do with economic necessity. For example, did you know that Vodaphone owes £6 billion in taxes, but this government has negotiated a payment that will only bring in millions? The collection of the money owed is equal in size to that of the Welfare Reform program, and that is *one* company!!!!”