Theatre and museum set to close in budget plans

Protesters had called for the venues to be protected from cuts

Councillors have agreed a budget that could lead to the permanent closure of a theatre and museum in Staffordshire.

Cannock's Prince of Wales Theatre and the Museum of Cannock Chase are set to close from the end of April.

However, talks are continuing with other groups in an attempt to keep the venues open.

The closures form part of Cannock Chase Council's attempt to close a £1.3m budget shortfall for the next financial year.

The theatre was set to be refurbished as part of the ambitious town centre regeneration project being part-funded by a £20m Government Levelling Up grant.

And council leader Tony Johnson said keeping the Museum of Cannock Chase open at its current location had been one of the administration's priorities when he when he took on the leadership of the authority in 2023.

He added: "We are working with local groups, supporting them to take up the running of the facilities, so they can continue to be run by local people for local people, even if the council's financial support has to be reduced."

The decision also comes against the backdrop of the government pressing for district authorities like Cannock Chase to merge with neighbouring and county councils into unitary bodies.

Johnson said its settlement from the government had been "less than generous".

Decommissioning plans

A member of the public asked what plans were in place for artefacts in the museum, to which the councillor said a detailed plan for decommissioning would be prepared.

He added: "Provision has been included in the budget for such work and the digitalisation of the collection.

"We do not have current details of the ownership of the artefacts, but this will form part of the transition".

The council was also asked what would happen to unused funds and grants awarded to the museum, to which Mr Johnson said it was working with funding partners to identify any requirements for returning monies.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.