🎭 Community Theatre

• Lisa Smart, MP for Hazel Grove, opened the debate on government support for community theatres, emphasizing their role in empowering young people and enhancing community cohesion.

• Community theatres like the Forum theatre in Romiley, Hazel Grove, provide vital opportunities for young people, including those from diverse backgrounds and with disabilities.

• Jim Shannon from Strangford highlighted the role of community theatres in bringing people together, and the increasing financial challenges they face, such as rising costs and inadequate funding.

• The Forum theatre faced closure due to structural issues with reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) in its roof, requiring costly repairs estimated at up to £2 million to fully remove the RAAC panels.

• Lisa Smart pointed out the economic benefits of community theatres, noting that they stimulate local economies by attracting spending beyond ticket sales.

• Gareth Snell from Stoke-on-Trent Central underscored the importance of community theatres in reflecting local stories and culture, which national productions often overlook.

• The educational and mental health benefits of community theatre participation were discussed, particularly how it can reduce costs for public services like child and adolescent mental health services.

• Lisa Smart advocated for government support to treat community theatres as valuable assets that both save public money and enrich communities.

• The Minister for Creative Industries, Arts and Tourism, Chris Bryant, acknowledged the importance of community theatres and praised the efforts to reopen the Forum theatre.

• Bryant highlighted the dual benefits of community theatres for young people’s career development and confidence building, as well as the significance of local productions in fostering community.

• Theatre tax relief and Arts Council England’s national portfolio investment program were cited as existing supports for theatres, along with a £85 million creative foundations fund for capital projects.

• Local government funding challenges were a recurring theme, with calls for long-term funding solutions to support cultural institutions like community theatres.

• **The debate concluded with a collective agreement on the essential role of community theatres in fostering community spirit, supporting local economies, and addressing social issues.

The disagreement in the session is relatively minimal and primarily focused on the adequacy and specifics of government support for community theatres rather than a fundamental opposition to the concept of supporting them. Here are the key points demonstrating the disagreement:

1. Funding and Ownership Models: There is a slight disagreement on the accessibility of funding based on ownership models. Helen Maguire (Epsom and Ewell) (LD) expressed concerns about the eligibility of community theatres to access funding like the creative foundations fund if they do not own the building or have a long-term lease. The Minister, Chris Bryant, responded by acknowledging the concern and suggesting other potential avenues and requesting more specific details to further address the issue. This indicates a disagreement on how inclusively funding is allocated among different ownership structures.

   Example: - Helen Maguire: “…past experience suggests that not owning the building or having a long-term lease could preclude access to such funding.” - Chris Bryant: “…If she wants to write to me about the specifics of that case, I will look into it.”

2. Local Government Funding: Alison Bennett (Mid Sussex) (LD) expressed a concern that community theatres might be at risk due to local government reorganization and funding cuts, particularly due to social care funding issues. The Minister acknowledged the challenge but emphasized the broader efforts to improve local government budgeting through longer-term settlements, indicating a divergence in the immediate approaches and priorities for ensuring the sustainability of community theatre.

   Example: - Alison Bennett: “…without a quick resolution to how we fund social care, many of the community theatres, which are council-owned assets, are at risk of being sold off.” - Chris Bryant: “…I hope that more of the latter will make a dramatic difference to how local authorities can plan for big and medium-sized projects in the cultural sphere.”

Overall, the disagreements are constructive and centered around methods and specific challenges in implementing support for community theatres rather than a broader ideological disagreement. This merits a rating of 2 due to the limited nature and civil tone of the disagreements presented.