Falkirk Council: Fallout over decision to close town hall continues

After a lengthy debate last week at a meeting of the full council, the SNP administration won the support of the Conservative group to go ahead with the closure plans.

The council’s director of place services, Malcolm Bennie, wanted councillors to put an end to years of wrangling over a replacement for FTH and the adjoining municipal buildings, which are currently being demolished.

He proposed that the town hall would close after this year’s professional panto production of Sleeping Beauty.

However, it was agreed following a Conservative amendment that it would not be until after the youth theatre company Big Bad Wolf put on their show, School of Rock, which runs from January 30 to February 4.

Falkirk Council will now close the town hall building on February 6.

This is despite last year the local authority pledging to keep FTH open until a replacement facility was ready. But last week’s report to councillors revealed the cost of separating the two, then repairing the town hall would be over £6 million – and the building would also have to close for a year.

Mr Bennie also warned that the condition of FTH is so poor that there was a real danger that shows would be disrupted by the building’s failure and urged councillors to support a “managed and planned closure”.

The council leader, Cecil Meiklejohn, backed the director and urged members to vote for the proposals, saying that the decision making in the past five years had been “like wading through treacle”.

She said: “Delay is not an option – we’ve had five years of delay for delay’s sake and it gives a lack of credibility to the council. This is a difficult decision – it’s not easy to make – but there is compelling evidence and the best thing is a managed closure.”

But Labour councillors had been taken aback by the speed of the proposals and they along with the Independents on council were not prepared to support the plan without any concrete plans for what would go in its place.

Labour group leader Anne Hannah criticised the lack of consultation with opposition groups as well as local arts groups before the plan was announced.

And she said it was vital to see the proposal for the replacement before making any decision.

However, Councillor James Kerr said that after careful consideration the Conservative group would support closure of the town hall.

“We want the best for Falkirk, including supporting local businesses and creating jobs, sustainable support for the arts and a town hall that acts as a hub for the local community,” he said.

Local arts groups say they are “sorely disappointed” by the decision.

Amy Sutherland from Falkirk Operatic Society, who spoke against the proposal at the meeting, said by agreeing to close the town hall councillors were “tearing the cultural heartbeat” from the area.

She said her company stood to lose thousands of pounds after already paying for the performing rights for Shrek which they were due to perform at FTH next April.

Amy added: “We've also put deposits down for costumes and scenery. It’s all very well the council saying that they will help us find an alternative venue but we may lose the rights to perform this production if it is not at FTH.

"FTH may not be perfect but it is perfect for its current purpose and is a league above other venues in the area.

"We’ve been planning to perform Shrek since before the pandemic and there has been massive interest already. But we feel that the rug has been ripped from beneath us after receiving an email telling us about what the council planned only the week before the meeting.”

She said the councillor’s decision could force her group and others out of the district in a hunt for suitable venues, saying the Macrobert in Stirling and Alhambra in Dunfermline are the nearest theatres they would be able to use.

Amy, whose mum Carol Sutherland, is Falkirk Operatic’s president, said she had grown up in the organisation and, along with similar groups, believed it was very much part of the district’s cultural heritage.

"With very little notice, over 200 people turned up outside FTH to voice their concerns at the proposal,” she said.

"I can see the reason for the new development but the lack of communication has been awful. Also if they can delay the closure for one group, why not another two months to allow Falkirk Operatic to put on their production?”

Kathryn Grainger, chair of Falkirk Arts Network, said: “The platitudes offered by the council do nothing to alleviate the impact this decision will have on the arts and creative groups in Falkirk.

“To suggest that fixtures such as lighting can be transferred when the building is being dismantled, and utilised in Bo’ness or Grangemouth town halls, merely highlights the lack of understanding of the suitability of these buildings for large productions. There are safety issues with them too, as they are also in a state of disrepair.”

At Wednesday’s meeting, council leader Cecil Meiklejohn said she was hopeful that a replacement town hall could be built within three years.

Kathryn believes it more likely to be five years.

She said: “This is too long for groups such as Falkirk Operatic Society, Project Theatre and Falkirk Tryst Orchestra to be without a suitable venue. They need to be able to generate income from ticket sales and to keep public interest going, as well as the enthusiasm of their members.”

Two of the council’s Independents blasted the decision as “a short-sighted attempt to grab as much money as possible from the sale of the old Municipal Building’s site”.

Councillor Brian McCabe said: “That the council’s previous position, advising the current Town Hall would only be demolished once a replacement facility had been delivered, be discarded so easily was completely unacceptable as well as being morally bankrupt.”

He slated the council for making the decision before it carried out a statutory consultation on the sale of the land, as it is obliged to do.

The council has pledged £200,000 of funding to support an arts programme that will take place across the district while the town hall is closed.