Councillors’ u-turn over plans to end funding for town venue

Councillors in Huntingdon have had a change over heart over plans to stop grant funding to the Commemoration Hall.

In November, Huntingdon Town Council offered the hall trustees a final, one-off grant of £20,000 and insisted that the venue become “self sufficient”.

But, at a meeting of the finance committee held on January 7, councillors agreed to allow the Commemoration Hall to apply for fresh funding of up to £20,000 worth of grants to fund capital projects including the renovation of the its kitchen.

The mayor of Huntingdon, Councillor Bill Hensley said: “I think the new chairman of the Commemoration Hall is looking to be self sufficient. I have got no objections to putting money in for capital projects.

“If they have a proper business plan then I have no got a problem with giving them the money but I don’t think we should be paying for the running costs of the hall.”

Councillor Tom Sanderson added said: “We need to put money into the grant budget so the Commemoration Hall can put in a reasonable application.”

The hall was built in 1840 as a literary institute and was renamed in the 1950s to honour those who had died in the Second World War. It was also expanded to incorporate the stage and auditorium.

From 1959, the town council operated and subsidised the hall, until a board of trustees was created in 2006 and took over responsibility.