Community group to get chance to run Bedworth Civic Hall

A community interest company will be given the chance to reach a deal to run Bedworth Civic Hall for the local council

A Warwickshire entertainment venue could soon reopen after a community interest company (CIC) was given the chance to take over running it.

Bedworth Civic Hall closed at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic and was not reopened.

In November, Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council said investment was desperately needed for the theatre.

Bedworth CIC would now be given the chance to agree a lease to run the venue, the authority said.

A deal could see the group run it for up to 20 years while the council remains as owner.

The prospective partnership followed a detailed bidding process in which organisations were given the chance to come forward with plans, the council said.

"We would like to see the lease concluded quickly so that the civic hall can reopen under the CIC's management," councillor Sue Markham explained.

Steven Young, chair of Bedworth CIC, said the group looked forward to working with the authority "to enable the continued use and success of the venue".

The council previously suggested that operating the hall again could cost it a sum of £845,000.

At the time, leader Kris Wilson called that a "significant financial burden" on the council's budget.