5,000 sign petition in fight over Sandwell College takeover plan for The Public
A 5,000-signature petition was today being handed to bosses at Sandwell Council over plans to turn The Public into a sixth-form college.
Sandwell College wants to take over the arts centre in West Bromwich, which opened in 2008, and provide places for 500 A-level students.
Talks are continuing to take place between the council and the college. A final decision is due to be made by late summer in order for the sixth form to open in September 2014.
The petition calls for 'The Public to remain as a valuable community, cultural and learning resource for everyone'. It has been organised by apprentices from the LearnPlay Foundation, a tenant at the New Street venue.
Petition organiser James Higgs, from West Bromwich, said: "When we heard about Sandwell Council's plans to close The Public, we wanted to do something to show how much people cared. We wanted to show how important The Public it is to us – the people that use it and work within it. And we weren't alone; over 5,000 people have signed our petition.
"We hope this petition will be taken seriously by Sandwell Council."
As well as the handover of the petition at Sandwell Council House in Oldbury today, 50 people who signed the petition were planning to be in attendance.
Sandwell Council took over the management of the centre in 2009 after the Arts Council walked away, and continues to pump £1.5 million a year into the building. Building work on the iconic pink and black structure, designed by architect Will Alsop, started in 1995 and after a number of delays the centre finally opened in 2008.
In 2011 the Arts Council was accused of funding a building that was 'not fit for purpose' in a damning report into the organisation's role in building the centre.
Sandwell's deputy council leader Councillor Mahboob Hussain has said the council wants to secure a long-term future for the building.
