Issue - meetings

In January 2018 the Community & Wellbeing committee received a report of the scrutiny review task group on the Epsom Playhouse. As a result of this service review report, the Committee asked that an action plan be presented at its October 2018 Committee meeting outlining a list of actions for the development of the playhouse.

Following consideration, the Committee:

(1)          Noted the update on the action plan for Epsom Playhouse and agreed that an update report regarding the Playhouse should be presented annually to the Committee at its October meeting.

(2)          Agreed to the implementation of a charge of £1.50 per transaction, with income generated in excess of budget from this charge being set aside for a rolling programme of improvements to the venue.

The Committee received a report presenting an update on the action plan for Epsom Playhouse, which had been produced following the Scrutiny Service Review of the venue undertaken in 2017. The plan identified a number of actions for the Playhouse under the headings of “Income generation”, “Equipment” and “Building”. The Committee considered the following matters:

a)            Implementation of transaction charge. The Committee noted that it was proposed to implement a charge of £1.50 per transaction, and that income generated by this above the budget would be utilised for a rolling programme of improvements to the venue. Similar charges had been successfully introduced at other local theatres, and had not received a negative response from customers. It was noted that the proposed charge would relate to each order, not each individual ticket.

Officers forecast that the charge would generate around £33,000 income per annum. This would cover the £22,500 revenue cost encountered by the Council following the removal of credit card booking fees in January 2018 (in accordance with legislative changes), with any further revenue to be utilised for the rolling programme of improvements.

b)            Future annual update. The Committee considered that an annual update report on the Epsom Playhouse should be presented to its October meeting in the future.

Following consideration, the Committee:

(1)          Noted the update on the action plan for Epsom Playhouse and agreed that an update report regarding the Playhouse should be presented annually to the Committee at its October meeting.

(2)          Agreed to the implementation of a charge of £1.50 per transaction, with income generated in excess of budget from this charge being set aside for a rolling programme of improvements to the venue.