Assembly Hall will NOT close, promises town council

THE Assembly Hall will not be closed or ‘moth balled’, Melksham Town Council has promised residents.  

The town council has also  denied that it has already made a decision about the hall’s future ‘behind closed doors’ after making the hall’s manager redundant; and mayor, cllr Jon Hubbard, has said he hopes the public can be involved in future discussions about its long-term future.  

‘Moth balling’ the Assembly Hall was one of several options for the future of the town’s main entertainment venue that was scheduled to be discussed at a meeting last week. 

Speculation that the Assembly Hall’s future was at risk prompted a strong reaction from locals, with an online petition to ‘save’ the Assembly Hall attracting nearly 250 supporters within days of its launch. And nearly 50 residents, in-person and online, attended the meeting last week to speak in support of keeping the Assembly Hall open. 

However, technical difficulties meant that residents attending the meeting online were unable to participate in the debate, forcing the council to delay discussions – but not before promising to dismiss all options for closure. 

“We’ll close the Assembly Hall over my dead body,” said mayor, cllr Hubbard. 

Alternatives

Instead, councillors will debate the future of the Assembly Hall at a meeting in September – other options still on the table include; using the Assembly Hall more like a ‘village hall’, available to hire for community groups; having a greater focus on using the hall for cinema events; and operating the hall as a ‘hosting venue’, taking bookings from outside promoters, private hirers and community organisations. 

According to a report submitted to councillors, the Assembly Hall is projected to make a loss of £367,828 from April 2019-to April 2022. 

Vibrant future

“It can’t go on as it is,” said cllr Graham Ellis, who encouraged the council to focus on finding solutions to secure a ‘vibrant future’ for the hall. He has help launch a group to support the Assembly Hall – see details at the end of this article.

Residents have also demanded that they be involved in deciding the future of the Assembly Hall. 

“Let’s have a consultation with the people of this town,” said town resident Pauline Baker at last week’s meeting, who also highlighted that the Assembly Hall is “the biggest of its kind for miles around”.  

“If we fork out money, we have a right to say how it is spent,” she continued, before adding that she feels the hall is currently “not fit for purpose” and in need of investment to improve it. 

“You’ve got to spend money to make money,” added Pauline. 

In response to the pressure for more public consultation, cllr Hubbard said that he personally believes that the public should be involved in discussions, and that following September’s meeting, he expects that residents will be formally consulted about the long-term future of the hall. 

“Every member of our community contributes towards the cost of the Assembly Hall,” said cllr Hubbard. “Last year, every member of our community contributed on average £48 per household towards the cost of the Assembly Hall – so it’s a big ask of our residents.  

“We’ve got to make sure that we are doing what our residents want.” 

However, the town council was unable to alleviate suspicion that a decision about the hall’s future has already been made “behind closed doors,” with residents questioning why the town council’s facilities manager – who oversees the running of the Assembly Hall – has been made redundant before any decision has been made. 

Concerns

Echoing concerns raised by Melksham News readers, the newspaper asked at the meeting, “How can this council make an open, honest and transparent decision about the future of the Assembly Hall when it has already chosen to make the role of facilities manager redundant? 

“To members of the public, making this decision prior to the discussions tonight gives the impression that councillors have already agreed the future of the Assembly Hall behind closed doors – and that the discussions tonight are an empty gesture. By removing the Assembly Hall’s manager, you’re already limiting the options you have for the hall.” 

In response, cllr Hubbard explained that the decision to make the facilities manager redundant was made because of the impact of Covid-19 on the town council’s financial position, and he dismissed allegations that the decision had been made ‘prematurely’.

“A group of councillors looked at the financial position that the new council inherited,” explained cllr Hubbard, “they looked at the costs that were being met, they looked at the substantial losses – because of Covid, no other reason, no reflection on anything other than Covid – but the substantial losses that were there from the Assembly Hall last year, and the opportunities that were with us in the immediate future, and made a decision – that was a collective decision of the council.” 

A date for the meeting in September about the Assembly Hall has yet to be confirmed. 

After the meeting, Melksham Town councillor for South Ward, Graham Ellis says, “It was heartwarming to hear all the love and support for the Melksham Assembly Hall at last Monday’s Town Council meeting. The hall has many, many friends – with enthusiasm, expertise and experience available to help the Hall move on and thrive through the next decade, for the great good of current and future users and for the town as a whole. 

“In just the last two days, over a hundred of these friends have come together in a private Facebook page, at

“We don’t yet know what the best structure is for the Hall for coming years. But a number of us are looking at various options we could propose. For those with the time and enthusiasm to help as part of a future core team, I’m helping co-ordinate a ‘committee’ meeting on the evening of 2nd September. For those with a love of the hall, but without the time to commit, we would love to hear from you on our Facebook page – comments on encouragement, ideas, and also concerns so that they can be addressed early. 

 “This is very much early days in what we hope to be a community partnership of some sort. It’s probable that the friends group will be here, supporting, for many years, but what we’ll be supporting remains to be defined. 

“For more details, email info@fomah.org.uk or visit the Facebook page. Geoff Mitcham and myself are coordinating; both well enough known around town to be reached in other ways too. Exciting times ahead!”