Issue - meetings

Judy Holmes, Assistant Chief Executive, introduced the report. She noted that any decision relating to the lease of the Redwood Centre is separate to any decision made about Clair Hall and that Cabinet received 51 representations and a petition against the closure of the Hall.

The Leader thanked the public for submitting the representations and for the petitions. He stated that Cabinet had considered them all carefully. He asked whether further clarity could be provided about the responsibilities of Place Leisure (PL) in the contract to administer Clair Hall.

The Assistant Chief Executive confirmed that there were no restrictions placed on PL and the contract required them to operate Clair Hall in the same way they operate the leisure centres. She turned to the Divisional Leader for Commercial Services and Contracts to provide the utilisation data for 2019.

Rob Anderton, Divisional Leader for Commercial Services and Contracts, outlined the headline figures of total usage compared to capacity in the study; 53% for the Main Hall, 54% for Studio, 42% of Function Suite, 17% for the Dressing Rooms.

The Leader noted that the government guidance advises people not to meet in person and instead meet electronically as well as reducing the number of members from different households meeting. He said that the vast majority of the users would not be able to hire the hall, even if the hall could accommodate them.

The Divisional Leader for Commercial Services and Contracts highlighted that live performances require social distancing which means they can only operate at 25% capacity which does not make it economically viable.

The Cabinet Member for Environment and Service Delivery thanked all the residents who expressed concern over the closure of the Hall. He noted the usage of the Hall, notwithstanding the restrictions imposed to control the pandemic, was declining and that in the Haywards Heath Masterplan 2007 Clair Hall was described as ‘outdated’. He believed that this was an opportunity to look at the future of the site. He asked whether the word ‘potential’ could be removed from the recommendation to give residents more confidence.

The Cabinet Member for Economic Growth questioned the income projections for the proposed temporary car park.

The Assistant Chief Executive explained that the forecasts were based on 60/70% capacity. She added that there is a flexible monitoring mechanism with the Budget Management Reports.

The Cabinet Member for Economic Growth discussed relocation of users. He believed that the Council worked effectively to relocate users of the Martlets Hall and couldn’t see why it can’t be done here. He wanted to ensure that all voices were heard, not just the loudest and ensure that the taxpayer’s money is not wasted paying for a venue that is underused and could be improved.

The Cabinet Member for Community stated that Clair Hall was currently in the situation where it required maintenance investments. He mentioned that venues require 65% capacity just to break even therefore it would not be viable to hold events given the current restrictions. He believed  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8