At the Salisbury Area Board meeting on Thursday, March 9, Wiltshire Council confirmed that it is continuing work to identify third party organisations who are interested in managing and operating City Hall in Salisbury as an entertainment, community and cultural venue.
The council is seeking to work with an organisation who would run the venue on Wiltshire Council’s behalf, as this is deemed to be the most likely option to provide long-term financial sustainability to enable the venue to thrive and to safeguard its future.
With a recent bid for the government’s Levelling Up Funding to help with building improvements proving unsuccessful, the council is currently undertaking a condition survey that will provide any interested third-party organisations with robust information relating to the building’s current and future maintenance requirements.
Work is also ongoing that will enable the council to better understand the nature of any future arrangement and interested parties will be invited to take part in this process in due course.
Cllr Richard Clewer, leader of Wiltshire Council, said: “While we were disappointed not to be allocated Levelling Up Funding for City Hall, undertaking the condition survey and further market engagement are key next steps to move forward with our aim of reopening the City Hall as an entertainment venue in Salisbury.
“Engaging the market ahead of a formal procurement process is good practice and will help us to get maximum value for money and to encourage innovation. We will invite the organisations that have previously expressed an interest in operating City Hall to take part in the process and to give us more information about their future intentions for the venue and any outcomes they are seeking to achieve.
“While the process is continuing, it may still be some time before we are in a position to reopen, but we are committed to reopening City Hall and we’ll continue to keep people as updated as possible throughout this process.”