Hundreds back call to use culture money to save under-threat town halls

Town halls in Stourbridge and Halesowen face an uncertain future after the council announced it is looking for new operators to run the venues.

The cash-strapped council says it can no longer afford to subsidise the town halls as it battles to find £37m in savings over the next three years.

Charlie Cassells, who started the petition on change.org, said: “Despite Dudley Council currently making sweeping changes in how it operates to save money, there is, apparently, funding available for culture, as they have unveiled plans to create Cultural Action Zones, designed to increase cultural activity through community led arts programmes.

“In the current financial year, the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) has provided £650,000 for cultural activity and Dudley expects to be bidding for a similar amount next year.

“We believe some of this funding could be used to support Stourbridge and Halesowen Town Halls - which are already well-established cultural venues.”

The council says the two town halls could close in April 2025 if a group or organisation cannot be found to take over.

Any groups interested in taking over the town halls have until September 16 to submit an expression of interest with the authority.

Councillor Paul Bradley, deputy leader of Dudley Council, said: “These are without doubt important community buildings but with the financial position we find ourselves in, we have no choice but to look at how services might be provided differently in the future

“We have seen that community groups can make a success of running venues like this, with the Dudley Council for Voluntary Service taking over Brierley Hill Civic.

“We are looking for a similar arrangement with Halesowen and Stourbridge Town Halls as we look to try to do everything we can to secure the future of these buildings.”