Bedworth Civic Hall's re-opening 'at risk over Raac concern'

There was a break-in at Bedworth Civic Hall over the weekend, the community interest organisation said

An entertainment venue's re-opening may be at risk after a group aiming to take it over said issues must be resolved.

The need for a Raac concrete survey, and a £22,000 annual insurance premium the Bedworth Civic Hall CIO was unaware of, are among issues holding things up.

The hall has been shut since October 2022 and the CIO was due to sign the lease on Friday.

But owners Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council said a signing deadline had been extended by two weeks.

The authority said it was due to a break-in, but the community interest organisation (CIO) said an email had revealed the concrete survey it had asked for has not been carried out.

It also said the authority had not previously indicated the insurance "was £22,000 a year, or £440,000 over the lease", added the CIO, which said it "wouldn't have agreed to £40,000 in rent had we known that".

The venue has been shut since October 2022

The CIO said it was still willing to sign the lease later but needs the authority to "be reasonable and negotiate" over the outstanding issues.

It said it was asking for the authority to cover "building insurance for their building from the rent we pay".

It stated it was keen to conclude matters as soon as possible, as it had "delivery partners and funders waiting on the outcome of our discussion".

The council said however, it would "not engage in discussion about the lease" in the media.

'Actively reviewing queries'

Deputy chief executive Tom Shardlow said because of the break-in at the civic hall over the weekend, "the timeline to sign the lease has been extended a further two weeks".

"Terms were set out for the successful bidder and others involved in the process, so those terms have to remain the same for legal reasons," Mr Shardlow said.

"The council is actively reviewing the final queries raised by the CIO. We will work hard to get this lease agreed, and signed, and we need the CIO to do the same."

Mr Shardlow said the council would "make good" the damage done during the break-in.