THE future of the Assembly Hall will be discussed at a Melksham Town Council meeting next week. 
Several options for the use of the town’s main entertainment venue have been presented to the council in a report, including “moth balling” the hall.
“It is the surest and most immediate way to protect Melksham Town Council from financial risk,” says the report to councillors. “Given the uncertainty over the future of the Blue Pool site after the completion of the Melksham Campus, this option does allow for more nimble planning when the position on the future of the site is clearer, in the next 18 months or so.”
Other options include, using the Assembly Hall more like a “village hall” available to hire for community groups; a greater focus on using the hall for cinema events; and operating as a “hosting venue”, taking bookings from outside promoters, private hirers and community organisations.
Currently the Assembly Hall is open and accepting bookings for events until the end of September – and tickets for a number of live music events, arranged by Melksham Town Council, are available to purchase.
According to the report, the Assembly Hall is projected to make a loss of £367,828 from April 2019-to April 2022 – in 2019/20 the hall made a loss of by £91,537; in 2020/21 the hall was closed for the majority of the year because of Covid, making a loss of £158,791; and in 2021/22, the hall is projected to make a loss of £117,500.
The funds lost by the Assembly Hall are subsidised by the town council’s General Reserves fund.
The report continues, “In considering the financial implications of the plans for the Assembly Hall, councillors must consider the funds available in our general reserves. As of 30 June 2021, the figure stood at £359,836 – meaning that the significant annual ‘losses’ of recent years will quickly become unsustainable.
“The onset of Covid-19 and the devastating impact it has had on all events spaces in the UK has brought this concern into stark focus. The financial shortfall of over £150k in 2020/21 makes this clear.”
The meeting will be held at the Town Hall on Monday 9th August at 7pm – the general public are able to attend in person or join the meeting online.
For details about how to attend and to read the Assembly Hall report in full, visit the website:
