Salisbury City Council hoping to take control of City Hall
City Councillors voted to open negotiations with Wiltshire Council
Salisbury City Council has voted by a ‘good majority’ to open negotiations with Wiltshire Council about taking control of Salisbury City Hall.
The building, which has been closed since being used as a COVID vaccination centre, requires repair work to the roof.
At a City Council meeting on Monday 4th September at Salisbury Guildhall, a motion was passed to begin discussions about a City Hall takeover.
City Councillor Paul Sample believes the venue can be reopened quickly and says that the longer the venue stays closed, the more difficult it will be to open in the future.
“It needs to be back as part of our entertainment offer,” he said, “People at the moment are going to places like reading and Winchester, Bournemouth and elsewhere for their entertainment.
“They should be coming to great bands and tribute act and TV comedians here in Salisbury.
“And that's not something that Wiltshire Council I think can deliver or has a record to deliver.”
Wiltshire Council say they remain committed to reopening the venue.
Wiltshire Council "don't understand" City Hall's importance
Mr Sample said it’s now the responsibility of City Council officers to contact Wiltshire Council and arrange a meeting for a fact-finding exercise.
“If there is a deal, then we will go ahead and do it, but if it's not acceptable then we won't and no one's writing a blank cheque.”
In June 2023, Wiltshire Council said it would cost more than £2 million to complete the require repair works to the roof.
Cllr Sample feels Wiltshire Council don’t understand the importance of City Hall to the people of Salisbury.
“The problem we've got at the moment is all of the decisions seem to be made by people who live up in Trowbridge, an hour and a half drive away and they just don't understand how Salisbury works or the importance of this, what is for us, great entertainment venue.”
He added that there’s lots of entertainment expertise and experience in Salisbury, saying an entertainment organisation run by local people who know the audience are “much more likely” to deliver a good experience.
Wiltshire Council "remain committed" to re-opening
Wiltshire Council acknowledged the meeting on Monday, saying in a statement that they are looking at “all options available” to them.
Cllr Richard Clewer, Leader of Wiltshire Council said: “We are deep in the process of looking in detail at all the options available to us for City Hall and remain committed to re-opening it as an entertainment and cultural venue as soon as we’re able to and seeing it thrive for the long term.
“We acknowledge the discussion held at Salisbury City Council’s meeting and I’m sure they will contact us directly about it soon. We’ll ensure to keep them updated on our plans, as well as all the other key stakeholders, as soon as we’re in a position to do so.”