What is it with Denbighshire Council and theatres?

More specifically, what is it with Denbighshire and theatres in Rhyl?

Its only a few months since we started the fight against plans to cut the budget of and eventually close down the Pavilion Theatre.
Common sense and overwhelming public support secured a temporary victory in that fight but now the powers that be have decided to go for another soft target - The Little Theatre.

Officers want it closed down before the end of the year and are using landlord powers to get their way.

It is obvious to anyone walking past the premises in the last few months that volunteers have been hard at work bringing the building up to scratch.
It recently received a new coat of paint and electricians, joiners and carpenters have been giving up their free time to help out.
But that doesn’t seem to be enough for the council, which has decided that as the work is running over the allotted time, they are pulling the plug.

A letter sent to the theatre trustees refuses to even discuss the theatre’s future until a health and safety audit is completed.

And if it passes the health and safety audit, there’s still no guarantee it will stay open.

What are they playing at?

It’s not councillors who are making this decision, it’s the unelected officers.
They are not accountable to you or to me and they seem to be utterly inflexible.

On the eviction notice, four council officers are named: Ian Hearle, Phillipa Earlam, Rebecca Williams and Gerald Lapington.

And while I appreciate they are part of the monstrous machine that is Denbighshire County Council, they still have ability to make individual decisions.
And if their decision is to evict the Little Theatre from its home then they and anyone else involved, should be ashamed of themselves.

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