Conservative parliamentary candidate for Worcester Marc Bayliss is very concerned that the recently announced revised plans for the Scala Theatre Building are a mere shadow of the previous proposals to build a new 500 seater theatre for the City.
The Labour and Green run City Council appear to want to settle for a sub-standard design with only a few small performance spaces instead of the landmark development that the City Council under its previous Conservative leadership had promised. Marc is also deeply concerned that there is no business plan for the new, downgraded facilities and that it is therefore entirely possible that the facility would close or require a significant on-going public subsidy.
Commenting Marc Bayliss said:
“These new proposals are a much watered-down version of the promise offered by a new theatre. As Leader of the Council at the time the bid was made, we aimed to build a new theatre for Worcester that would enable the City to bring bigger shows and performances to the City. Instead, these revised plans show just how little ambition the new Labour and Green Council has for Worcester. Three small performance spaces that replicate what we already have in the City is not what we need. What makes it even worse is that they don’t even have a business plan for this new facility and I fear it will either fail or require a huge cash subsidy from the Council in the future.”
“Worcester was promised a new theatre and instead they are getting another small cinema and some small performance spaces. I feel the City Council needs to go back to the drawing board and up their ambitions.”
Marc intends to write to Government ministers highlighting his concerns that what was promised in the original Towns Fund bid is now not going to be delivered by these new proposals.
