12th March 2008

The Labour group has today announced price freezes at the Plowright Theatre – two years after the former Conservative administration increased commercial hire charges by a whopping 61 per cent.

The Labour-led administration on North Lincolnshire Council has decided to keep the price of commercial hires at the same price as last year, £825. This is to try and redress the balance after the Tories increased commercial hire charges from £464 to £750 in 2006/7 and then £750 to £825 in 2007/8.  Charges will stay the same in an attempt to attract customers back to the theatre.

Other fees, such as Drama Federation and dance school evening performances, have gone up by a modest five per cent. The Drama Federation and local dance schools have been consulted and they did not indicate any concerns with the new pricing structure.

Cllr Christine O’Sullivan, Labour cabinet member for Leisure, Arts and Culture, said: “I am delighted we have managed to freeze some of the charges and keep others to modest rises. Local groups were made to suffer at the hands of the Tories with cruel increases of as much as 61 per cent and that priced many people out. We could not allow this to happen again.

“The Plowright Theatre should be flourishing. It is a venue the Labour group is proud of and we need to encourage people to visit and use it. The recent sell out of tickets for Lee Evans shows that people are desperate to see top quality entertainment and we must do all we can to encourage it at the theatre.

“Year on year price hikes of such an enormous level must stop. An increase of 61 per cent is a disgrace and the Tories should be ashamed. We have consulted with local groups and they accept the new pricing structure.”