To answer written questions from members of the Council under Rule No. 12.2. 

The following written questions have been received from Councillor J Murray:-

Grove Theatre, Dunstable

1. On how many days in 2009 were there performances open to the public?

2. What was the total number of seats sold in 2009 and what percentage of full capacity (i.e. full houses for 365 days) does that represent?

3. What was the cash value of seats sold in 2009?

4. How much, in cash terms, was Central Bedfordshire Council’s contribution to the running of the Grove Theatre?

Dunstable Office Refurbishment

1. How much was spent on new furniture in the Dunstable offices’ refurbishment?

2. Is it considered satisfactory by those who use it?

3. What is to become of the furniture which is being stored in empty units owned by the Council?

4. Is it still serviceable and usable?

5. What is the Council doing to let these premises and gain income whilst they are full of furniture and where would Council move the furniture to, should someone take on a lease of these premises?

Councillor J Murray had submitted two sets of written questions.  The first was about the Grove Theatre, Dunstable and the second question was about the Dunstable Office Refurbishment.  The Assistant Portfolio Holder for Safer Communities and Healthier Lifestyles and the Portfolio Holder for Customers, Systems and Assets tabled written responses, as set out below:-

Grove Theatre

1.            On how many days in 2009 were there performances open to the public?

         The Leisure Connection contract stipulates the venue should have activity for 244 days per year – In 2009 there were 266 days of activity which is made up of theatre, cinema, education and conferences.  Theatre performances totalled 182 days.

2.            What was the total number of seats sold in 2009 and what percentage of full capacity (i.e. full houses for 365 days) does that represent?

         101,558 seats were sold.  Full capacity is 780 seats x 182 shows = 141,960 seats.  101,558 represents 71% capacity.  (its not calculated on 365 days because the contract doesn’t stipulate the venue has to have activity for 365, its calculated on number of theatre performances i.e. 182 days).

3.            What was the cash value of seats sold in 2009?

         Average ticket price is £14 x 101,558 tickets equals £1.42m.

4.            How much, in cash terms, was Central Bedfordshire Council’s contribution to the running of the Grove Theatre?

         CBC pays £278k for the contract fee, plus 3% RPI plus £33k for utilities.  (For info, in addition, CBC pays £50k to Colliers for a service contract around the Grove for security / cleaning).

Dunstable Office Refurbishment

1.            How much was spent on new furniture in the Dunstable office's refurbishment?

Current expenditure is forecast at £151,500 which is on budget for this element of the Dunstable refurbishment.

2.            Is it considered satisfactory by those who use it?

Both formal feedback (through post-move surveys) and ad-hoc feedback (through discussions with colleagues in the offices)  is that the new furniture is considered satisfactory. Some staff who are having to work from older desks have shared their disappointment at not having new desks.

3.            What is to become of the furniture which is being stored in empty units owned by the Council?

Furniture that is currently in store will be assessed for re-use within council offices on grounds of suitability and condition before the end of July. Where it is not suitable or of a sufficient quality and cannot be economically repaired, consideration will be given to the method of disposal.  Surplus equipment will be offered to other not for profit organisations that have expressed interest in any furniture that is no longer required by the council.

4.            Is it still serviceable and usable?

About half of the furniture in store could be re-used if need be. Whether  this happens will depend upon how much of the furniture taken from Melbourne House and Borough Hall is of a better condition or more suited to the office space that has been created. The other half is currently in storage awaiting managed disposal either to an appropriate recycling company or possibly to voluntary/ charitable groups that have lodged requests with the council.

5.            What is the Council doing to let these premises and gain income whilst they are full of furniture and where would Council move the furniture to, should someone take on a lease of these premises?

The units being used for storage were only made available on the understanding that if we had a tenant for any of the occupied units they would be vacated in readiness for occupation on completion of the lease and therefore not used in any way as to deny the council from rental income. It is our clear intention to not use these units for this purpose beyond the end of August at the very latest. By using the unit in this way at this time we have not incurred additional revenue costs and also not denied the council rental income, since there have been no potential tenants of the units used for storage.  If potential tenants emerge arrangements will be made to re-locate the re-usable furniture to another location, and to accelerate the process of disposing the stock which is beyond use for the council.