Theatre refurbishment given extra funding

More than half a million pounds of extra funding has been given to a theatre undergoing a £16m revamp.

The refurbishment of Worcester's Scala Theatre was on track to be completed on time for the arts centre's scheduled opening in October next year.

However, unforeseen costs meant extra funds were required to get the flagship project over the line, the city council was told.

Those costs included an increase in National Insurance employer contributions and additional fire safety measures after new legislation came into effect. Councillors approved extra funding of £590,000.

That included £40,000 for public realm work in Angel Place and a £200,000 contingency budget to cover extra costs next year.

"There has not been an overspend on the original budget," managing director David Blake said.

"We've faced additional costs such as fire stopping because of the new legislation.

"£350,000 would give us just enough but we don't want to come back again."

He said that the council had looked at "every opportunity for alternative funding".

The committee heard the additional £590,000 can be funded by revenue underspends.

Councillor Richard Udall said without the extra funding, "the whole scheme would be in jeopardy".

Rachel Cooper, corporate director for finance and resources, said the Scala project came to £16.2m in total, with more than £12.5m coming from the Government's Future High Street Fund grant programme.

She said there had been "no awful surprises" to date and hoped the council was "over the worst".

Head of property Kevin Moore said construction work was going according to plan and attention was now shifting to the building's interior.

The Scala Theatre first opened as a cinema in 1922 and is being transformed into a modern arts hub for live performances, film, and workshops.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, which covers councils and other public service organisations.

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