FURTHER work is underway to find a potential operator to relaunch Salisbury City Hall as an entertainment, community and cultural venue.

In October, Wiltshire Council revealed it was seeking to work with an organisation to run the venue in a bid to secure the long-term future of the hall.
At a meeting of the Salisbury Area Board on December 1, council chiefs confirmed the work is continuing to analyse the best way forward.

They said the council has been undertaking a preliminary market consultation so it can better understand the type of arrangement a third-party operator would potentially enter into.
The council also confirmed at the meeting it has not yet heard the outcome of a bid for funding under the Government’s Levelling Up Fund.

If successful, this funding would be
used to make improvements to Salisbury’s cultural offer, including City Hall and Salisbury Playhouse.
However, the outcome of the bid will not determine whether City Hall reopens as an entertainment, community and cultural venue. The outcome of the bid should be known by the end of the year or early in 2023.
Cllr Richard Clewer, leader of Wiltshire Council, said: “The detailed preparation and research we are doing now will ensure that when we’re formally ready to commence the procurement process we will have foreseen any potential issues and it should put us in a good position to achieve a positive outcome.
“People’s patience is really appreciated because it will be some time before the venue reopens, but should this process prove to be successful then we’ll then be able to confirm exact timescales.
“We’re committed to re-opening City Hall and we’ll continue to keep people as updated as possible throughout this process.”