30/11/24 1130: Latest statement from #BackTheBeck
A number of questions were put to Hillingdon Council (LBH) on Thursday 28th November at their Council Meeting, identifying the need for swift and decisive action to ensure that the work of Blue Horizon will allow a new operator to take over from Trafalgar seamlessly on January 13th to ensure the Beck Theatre can keep its doors open. It was also put to LBH whether they are able to confirm or deny whether they are in possession or plans for residential development on the Beck site.
We were somewhat reassured that four proposals have been received following a full inspection and meeting at the Beck Theatre with six potential operators along with consultants Blue Horizon and LBH Officers. It is claimed that there is a shared commitment to secure long term future for the venue and to provide an improved cultural offer for the borough, and there are active discussions ongoing with those who have submitted bids. We hope to get further clarity in the coming days once a decision is made on Blue Horizon’s preferred operator to run the venue from January. The clock continues to wind down and it is imperative that all stakeholders come together to formulate and finalise a deal in the coming days, because we will not accept any further delays the serve as justification to allow those interest parties to lose interest or pull out altogether. We have warned before that if the venue closes, even for a month, it will be very difficult for it to re-open.
Responding to our concerns, Cllr Bianco stated the Council was surprised by Trafalgar’s decision to discontinue negotiations with LBH and subsequent attempts to find a solution proved unsuccessful due to demands that the Council could not agree to. The Council appointed Blue Horizon to find a new operator for the Beck once it realised Trafalgar would not negotiate further.
Bianco later said that “[Blue Horizon] are of the view that Trafalgar have taken careful steps over many years to ensure that the Beck has made a loss in order to ensure that the subsidy has continued to be paid”. He continued by saying that “Trafalgar are a profit making organisation but they’re doing so at our expense and they ultimately only wanted to stay so that they could continue to enjoy the cushy ride they’ve been on for for a number of years. All parties we are currently talking to expressed in my presence an interest and determination not only to maintain their close commitment with the local arts scene but to improve it, and many had interesting ideas about how this could take place so I have no doubt at all that when a new operator is found we will see an improvement across the offering that the theatre can produce”.
The BackTheBeck Campaign has reached out to Blue Horizon for a response to these comments.
We also discovered that a feasibility study, which included some high level option plans and drawings, was prepared in early 2023 as part of a wider piece of work looking at the whole surrounding area. However Cllr Bianco stated that he can confirm that the study pointed out that the site was unsuited for residential development from a planning perspective as it is regarded as open space and if residential was to be allowed it would have only been on a very small scale making the whole idea non-viable. Comments from the planning report state that the location is deemed not suitable for residential development as this would create a landmark building within public open space creating issues in relation to overlooking and increased traffic. This work pre dates by some time the recent discussions with Trafalgar and the subsequent negotiations to find a new operator for the Beck. Bianco closed to say “the Council has no intentions at this time of residential development on this site”.
We need to ensure that LBH and Blue Horizon can come back to us urgently to update the community on ongoing developments with the potential operators they are in discussions with. Only once a long term deal is signed with a new operator with a guarantee of a takeover in January immediately after Trafalgar’s exist will we be able to believe that there is no hidden agenda to force close the venue for good. Because whilst LBH say they have no intention at this time of residential development on the Beck site, they have failed to rule it out in the future.
Throughout this campaign we have questioned the Council’s seeming lack of action and delay tactics, and the timeline suggests that it was only after our Campaign gained momentum that they actively sought external consultants to try and guarantee a future life for the Beck by trying to find a replacement for Trafalgar at the 11th hour. This was addressed at last night’s meeting by the opposition benches, and a motion for an independent review was called to evaluate the true costs of the alarming series of events and to learn from any mistakes in order to avoid repeating them and to ensure the Council gives sufficient time in the future for operator transitions.
Cllr Stuart Mathers stated that “the other side want to avoid any responsibility for failed negotiations which hindered the ability to run something without subsidy. They’re looking at ways of selling off and developing green spaces and plans for redevelopment were not ruled out - just that they wouldn’t happen for the foreseeable”. He continued to say that “the approach to this series of events is eroding trust with residents and the amendment blames an operator who can’t defend themselves or tell their side of their story and won’t allow us to learn from improvement in future negotiations”.
Our Campaign has sought to remain non-political and we will not get involved the political mud slinging from all sides of the Council. However, it is true that ultimately we need to protect arts and culture in the Borough and to preserve the tailored, diverse creative learning the Beck has developed and lifelines the Beck has offered community groups. This cannot be lost in whatever form the Beck is operated in the future. It was our Campaign that first addressed the concerns we had that LBH might be looking to redevelop the site by removing an operator, force closing the building and then end up being faced with a situation where it had no option but to re-develop the site, presumably for housing.
It is disappointing that the Council chose to disregard the motion by forcing an amendment to remove the case for an independent review. Cllr Edwards cited that it would be ridiculous for the Council to agree to spend public funds on such an investigation, which would inevitably divert attention away from the key decisions at hand to ensure the appointment of a future operator. We do agree with Cllr Mathers however that such a review would be beneficial in order to evaluate the true costs of the continual delays leading up to Trafalgar exiting negotiations, and to learn from any mistakes in order to avoid repeating them, ensuring the Council gives sufficient time in the future for operator transitions.
However, for now we must focus on the future and continue to support the work of Blue Horizon and LBH to find a new operator for the Beck Theatre. We are acutely aware that time is moving fast and we require clarity on the current situation. Put simply - every day that passes is a day where it becomes harder for a new operator keep the doors open in January.
There are now just 28 working days until Trafalgar vacate The Beck and there is no new operator in place. We also empathise with the incredible team at The Beck, who - with no confirmed operator in sight - are looking at the possibility of unemployment come January. We understand a number of business-critical staff have made the heartbreaking decision to move on to new employment, making The Beck’s operational future even more uncertain.
We will continue to work to ensure the venue does not close and that it continues to have a long life ahead to ensure the provision of arts and culture for the people of Hillingdon and beyond. But we must call out the increasing risk and call on LBH and Blue Horizons to act with exceptional speed and focus in the coming days.
20/11/24 2000: Latest statement from #BackTheBeck
This morning, on Wednesday 20th November, a constructive meeting was held at the Beck Theatre with theatre consultants Blue Horizon and several potential operators who have expressed interest in taking over the venue from January.
In attendance were Cllr Jonathan Bianco (Deputy Leader of the Council) and Council Officers Karrie Whelan and James Raven.
It’s encouraging to see such strong interest from multiple theatre operators. They recognise the Beck Theatre’s significance not only as a key venue on the UK touring circuit but also as an essential part of our local community, enriching lives and providing a vibrant cultural offering. Representatives from six organisations had the opportunity this morning to explore the venue, participate in a site tour, and engage in meaningful discussions about what needs to happen over the next 6–8 weeks.
These interested operators now have until Monday 25th November to submit their proposals to Blue Horizon. Following this, Blue Horizon will make their recommendation to LBH for final consideration.
We are optimistic that at least one of these proposals will meet the criteria, paving the way for a seamless transition to a new operator after Trafalgar’s departure on 13th January.
We fought this campaign from day one with the sole objective to save the Beck Theatre and ensure it remains part of the community for the long term. We feel today we are a step closer. There is still a long way to go, but Julian Russell and the team at Blue Horizon are incredibly optimistic. We will support them along with LBH to get a deal over the line and preserve the Beck Theatre on its current site for future generations. Of course, we will continue to hold them to account and be the voice of the community to ensure that the present Creative Learning offer that the Beck Theatre provides is maintained, and that any future operator will run the Beck with the community at the heart of what it does.
We will update you early next week with more information as we receive it.
05/11/24 1730: Update
We are in continued discussions with LBH and Ian Edwards, along with the appointed consultants Blue Horizon.
As the Back The Beck campaign, we are concerned that LBH are stalling time to wind down the clock to force close the venue for good. We warned back in early September that we felt they would work to a playbook to remove the existing operator (or make it untenable for them to continue), and then create delays to ensure that no viable succession plan for a new operator could happen without the venue closing.
Whilst it is encouraging that LBH have engaged Blue Horizon to find a new operator for January, the timeline is of great concern, and it leaves very little time to ensure something can be ready in place by the time Trafalgar exit on the 13th.
We have posed a number of questions to Blue Horizon, including:
• How are you able to ensure a suitable operator can come forward and take over from 13th Jan to ensure a smooth transition from Trafalgar
• What is the vetting process and how will the tender work? What is the time line?
• Will LBH take your recommendations and implement them swiftly
• Will you remind LBH that given where we are now, that if an operator isn’t found by January and the process takes many months, that the building will close and steadily fall into a state of disrepair? With the programme gone, the staff gone, the assets gone, and the venue subject to squatters or arson, it would make finding a new backer almost untenable.
We feel an NPO model, where the Beck can run as a not for profit organisation, would be the best option for the venue to thrive. With a board of Trustees, supported by grants and arts funding and with a commercial subsidiary to manage the F&B side of the business, I think it can have a really bright future. This option currently exists, and we are working to ensure that it receives the necessary engagement from LBH and Council Officers.
Now is the time to look forward given that we are in a new phase, and hold LBH to account to ensure that there is a positive outcome from the ongoing consultancy work to ensure an operator can have a seamless decoupling from Trafalgar in Jan. This way, we can ensure the Beck’s doors remain open.
Any inability to find a new operator will have a devastating impact on Hayes and beyond. This is a community asset that was donated to the community by Alfred Beck in 1977 and we must ensure this is treated with maximum priority by the Council to ensure no further unnecessary delays.
30/10/24 2045: Latest statment from #BackTheBeck
We communicated over the last week that Hillingdon Council (LBH) had shown some engagement in responding to a new proposal to run the Beck Theatre from January as a non-profit organisation, however, with no announcement and no further clarity, it appears as though LBH have yet again missed their own deadline.
We believe contact was first made with LBH on 10th October requesting a meeting. LBH responded positively the following day, and an initial proposal was submitted on 14th October. Follow up questions were received and answered on 17th October. An updated proposal was submitted ahead of a detailed and constructive meeting on 24th October. Since then, the potential new operators have been pushing for a response, and to begin finalising a deal to kick off the process for de-coupling with Trafalgar and getting things in place ready for a seamless transition in the New Year.
They were expecting an update this morning from LBH. They were later contacted to say they’d have a response before close of play today. As of 2000 today no further response has been received.
As we have stated from the outset, we as Back The Beck do not want to be drawn into confidential discussions that are ongoing between this potential new operator and LBH. To that end, we will not disclose who they are, but assure the community they are the perfect fit to secure this venue’s future. We have spoken to them this evening and feel the need to call out the critical position on their behalf.
We understand the new proposal seeks to remove any formal subsidy in exchange for a long-term lease. As a non profit organisation, the venue will be able to build a comprehensive fundraising and development strategy, underpinned by a commercial subsidiary which will manage all the commercial aspects of the organisation.
We know that this deal is the only one on the table. There are simply no other options. We don’t believe LBH have engaged with anyone else and have not re-tendered the operation of the venue.
LBH claim to want to keep the venue. Despite the positivity of the last couple of weeks, and their attempt to engage and reach a deal, we cannot understand why they are so insistent on running down the clock. Because without approval from LBH, none of the essential work that must take place between now and January can start. 8 weeks from now, the venue WILL close its doors for good.
As a campaign, we paused our protests and demonstrations, as we wanted to support both LBH and any new operator to have these important conversations behind closed doors without any distraction from us. Despite a lot of cynicism, we took LBH at their word - they said they wanted to keep the Beck Theatre and we believe they had a viable option on the table that would keep it - we wanted to give them an opportunity to allow these talks to reach a positive conclusion.
However, given we are now at the end of October, we simply can’t accept the continual delay and dithering on the part of LBH - they have done this before and are doing it again. It is a tactic to wind the clock down to ensure that there are no viable options left. That way, when all is said and done, they can still claim they wanted to keep the venue but circumstances dictated otherwise, even though we feared it was their intention all along. And so we are now convinced that either they are doing this to make it impossible for the only available viable option left to succeed, or because they are grossly incompetent, or both.
As such, we will be ramping up our campaign efforts. We warned that if we did not see an increased level of urgency from LBH to progress things and reach a satisfactory deal with a new operator in the coming days, we would have no choice but to continue protesting. And so we will be organising another demonstration in Uxbridge on Saturday 2nd November at 1100. We will be rallying the community and exploring a legal framework. We will not stop until we see a resolution to secure the Beck Theatre for good.
22/10/24 2130: Latest statment from #BackTheBeck
Over the last 10 days, we have been encouraged by a positive response from Hillingdon Council (LBH) to engage with an option on the table, presented by people involved in The Beck Theatre and independent of Trafalgar, which would allow the venue to survive as a not for profit organisation. A proposal was put forward to LBH officers, who seemed to engage with it last week.
Whilst this sounds promising, we are concerned that there seems to be no urgency on the part of LBH to reach an agreement on this proposal or indeed any others that might be credible.
As a campaign group we do not want to get involved in confidential talks that might be happening between LBH and prospective future partners. All we want is to see LBH engage and ensure a deal can be struck before it is too late. And that deadline is basically here.
But we need LBH officers to engage with urgency to get something agreed in the coming days to protect this venue for the future. The Giovanni Pernice and Anton du Beke shows which were due to take place in January and March have just been cancelled as their promotors cannot be guaranteed of the venue’s future. Hillingdon Council needs to act NOW and FAST if it really wants to save the Beck Theatre.
When we said the Beck would be forced to close if it didn’t get an operator, we meant it.
Changing operators and de-coupling from Trafalgar cannot happen overnight. There are a plethora of things to consider, all of which really needed to start 6 months ago, not 11 weeks before the date set for Trafalgar to exit the venue and hand over the keys. Steve Sargeant, Theatre Director for the Beck Theatre has also raised these concerns and provided a by no means exhaustive list of things that must happen by January:
- Create new model and explore with experts and council colleagues.
- Recruit for trustees with specific skills in law, finance, business and fundraising.
- Create new charitable entities.
- Set up new bank accounts.
- Design fundraising strategies for individual giving, trusts and foundations and corporate sponsorship.
- Agree terms for handover with previous operator.
- Prepare contracts for novation.
- Commence programming for 2025.
- Prepare staff for TUPE to new operator
- Create new contracts for shows
- Create new contracts for staff
- Identify new ticketing platform
- Create new branding
- License to be transferred
- Review Cleaning provision
- Create comms strategy around handover
- Create marketing strategy for 2025 onwards
- Create new website and social media accounts
- Create 3-year rolling business plan
- Agree CapEx projects with council
- Assess terms of all hospitality contracts and decide if to be retained or removed
- Assess terms of all building maintenance contracts and decide if to be retained or removed
- Identify H&S, Compliance partners
- Identify insurance brokers
- Identify Legal support
- Identify new accounting platform and financial control measures
- Identify new pensions provider
- Identify new ePos system
- Identify new broadband provider
- Procure new IT systems (laptops etc)
- Remodel offices for increased team
- Create asset management plan
- Transfer Utilities to new operator or council
- Design new product lines and pricing for F&B
- Redesign all posters, signage and artwork across the venue.
- Remove all old stock
- Procure stock from new product lines
- Set-up merchant accounts for payment processing
- Recruit Finance Staff
- Recruit Development Staff
- Recruit Technical Staff
- Recruit F&B Staff
- Recruit Marketing Staff
- Set up new accounts with publications and marketing suppliers
- Procure new ticketing system and transfer all bookings and customers across
- Set up new IT and email accounts for staff and customers
- Design and implement new HR procedures
- Implement new HR policies
- Apply to join industry bodies (UKTheatre Etc)
- Tax and NI accounts set up with HMRC
LBH say on record they do not want to see the theatre close. But these steps are starting to happen. In the last week alone, a large number of shows pencilled for next year have been cancelled due to the uncertainty surrounding the venue. This makes it even harder for prospective future operators to run the Beck from next year as there is going to be a period of significant lost revenue, as a result of the dithering and delays on the part of LBH to secure a new deal.
The situation with the Beck Theatre mirrors what happened with the three Council nurseries in Pinkwell, Uxbridge, and South Ruislip. In August 2022, Hillingdon Council attempted to close these nurseries with just four months notice and no community consultation, citing significant financial losses that many of the parents attributed to their mismanagement. However, this lack of consultation was found to be unlawful.
In response, parents and guardians from the Save Our Nurseries campaign sought legal counsel, which led to a legal threat against the Council. This prompted the Council to pause the closures in November 2022 and conduct a public consultation during the summer of 2023. The results showed overwhelming community support for the nurseries, allowing them to remain open. However, the uncertainty created by the Council's initial decision caused some families to move their children elsewhere, and the nurseries struggled to enrol new students. This exacerbated their financial situation, leading to losses of tens of thousands of pounds. Additionally, they unfortunately lost some valuable staff during this turbulent period.
We are doing our best to be constructive. We cancelled our planned demonstrations last weekend because we could see a glimmer of hope and wanted to support LBH officers in trying to negotiate a deal. We hear today that the dialogue remains open and there are meetings planned for this week. But, if we don’t see an increased level of urgency from LBH to progress things and reach a satisfactory conclusion and deal with a new operator in the coming days, we will have no choice but to continue protesting. We want to believe LBH and their repeated assurances that they do want to see the Beck Theatre continue. However one can’t help but think back to the summer when Trafalgar proposed a 3 year trial on zero subsidy with no cost to LBH. It really was an offer any other Council wouldn’t have been able to refuse. And so we can’t be blamed for being extremely cynical.
The momentum of our campaign is growing. The community is getting more frustrated. And we will not be satisfied until a deal is secured that protects the Beck’s future for the long term.
11/10/24: Latest statment from #BackTheBeck
In response to London Borough of Hillingdon (LBH) statement posted here:
It is disappointing that LBH has chosen to finally burn the bridge with Trafalgar Theatres in this inflammatory way. Although Trafalgar Theatres aren't the only theatre operator, the extremely short time-frames we are faced with to protect The Beck made it likely that Trafalgar Theatres would be the most viable option.
We are also confused by Cllr Edwards’ surprise. From the evidence that members of this campaign have seen, Trafalgar Theatres has provably and positively engaged with LBH at every stage of this process and made their timeline requirements abundantly clear at every step. LBH ignored those requirements at every step and seem bewildered that Trafalgar Theatres did exactly what they said they would do, exactly when they said they would do it, for exactly the reasons they had previously explained. LBH’s actions not only are harming the community, but are also unnecessarily harming the committed and hard working staff at the theatre.
We believe this issue now fundamentally comes down to timing. As we have learnt, it takes 6-12 months to programme a theatre. Had LBH engaged with Trafalgar over the summer, when Trafalgar first accepted a zero- subsidy model, The Beck could have continued to programme for 2025. Unfortunately, the irredeemable dither and delay from LBH, which included ignoring the deadlines that had been clearly communicated, meant that programming had to stop. The Beck now has almost no programme for most of 2025, which makes a zero-subsidy model impossible to deliver.
It would be reasonable, therefore, for Trafalgar to request a financial contribution from LBH to underwrite the loss of programme until such time as The Beck could trade out of this mess.
It looks to us like LBH are simply trying to find a scapegoat to cover up their own poor handling of this issue and in the process have burnt the bridge with the company most able to provide viable solutions. We have been in touch with venue staff this evening to offer our support. LBH issued this statement without giving them notice, so this came as a total shock to the people who rely on The Beck for their employment.
We now call on the council to meet with the Back the Beck Campaign and The Beck Theatre Director to explore alternative options - disconnected from Trafalgar Theatres - for protecting this vital community asset. This needs to happen urgently if The Beck is to survive for future generations.
03/10/24: Latest statment from #BackTheBeck
Following our public meeting and demonstration over the weekend, we raised a number of queries with LBH on Monday. They have offered us no response.
The #BackTheBeck campaign will therefore be holding a second demonstration outside the Civic Centre on Thursday 10th October at 1800 to coincide with an LBH Cabinet Meeting that evening.
It has been 72 hours since we contacted Councillors regarding our continued concerns about the future of the Beck Theatre and the lack of answers to the questions we have been posing for the last 2 weeks:
• Who are LBH in talks with about a new operator lease for Jan 2025
• How are potential new operators being vetted? As leisure operators who run gyms and swimming pools
lack the experience of running a theatre, how would they give assurance to you and us, the community, that
they could manage bookings and have access to promoters in order to attract new shows?
• What is the plan for the future and what strategy is in place to guide it?
• What is the plan for staff that the Council have left in limbo?
• Are potential new operators (in whatever form they take) being offered the 9 month contract that
Trafalgar were?
• What are Hillingdon Council’s plans for the venue from Jan 2025?
• What certainty can LBH assure us there is not a hidden agenda to drive the venue into the ground and
make it deliberately fail to justify a permanent closure?
• What assurances can LBH give that the Creative Learning programme will continue, supporting our
community as it has done for so many years?
• LBH are in the process of asset-stripping in order to meet a £75m target. Can they confirm that The Beck
and the surrounding land will not be sold to developers?
We have failed to receive any response since we first asked these questions.
We urge members of the Council to contact us and clarify their position regarding the Beck Theatre urgently. Our campaign is concerned that they are trying to run down the clock to force a permanent closure.
30/09/24: We have expressed our concerns to LBH Councillors in an email to them this morning:
Dear Councillors,
Trafalgar Theatres offered a deal to LBH to continue running the Beck Theatre into 2025 and beyond, for which any other Council would have been incredibly grateful for; offering a 3 year trial of a deal with zero subsidy from the Council, at no cost to the taxpayer. So if LBH are so keen to keep the theatre open, why did they then not accept a deal with Trafalgar who have been running this since 2007? Cllr Bianco today has gone on record to the BBC saying the LBH intention is to keep the Beck Theatre open. But if this is the case, then why are LBH not confirming how this will be achieved and answer our key questions:
We need urgent clarity on these key points:
• Who are LBH in talks with about a new operator lease for Jan 2025
• How are potential new operators being vetted? As leisure operators who run gyms and swimming pools lack the experience of running a theatre. How would they give assurance to you and us, the community, that they could manage bookings and have access to promoters in order to attract new shows?
• Why does you intention have no strategy or plan?
• What is the plan for staff that the Council have left in limbo?
• Are potential new operators (in whatever form they take) being offered the 9 month contract that Trafalgar were?
Over the weekend, the BackTheBeck campaign to save the Beck Theatre organised a Public Meeting at the Beck Theatre on Saturday, inviting all councillors and extending a personal invitation to Cllr Ian Edwards, Leader of the Council. I received no response to this invitation.
Consistently since this campaign was launched, we have continued to ask the key questions from LBH that we still have no firm answers to.
• What are Hillingdon Council’s plans for the venue from Jan 2025?
• What certainty can LBH assure us there is not a hidden agenda to drive the venue into the ground and make it deliberately fail to justify a permanent closure?
• What assurances can LBH give that the Creative Learning programme will continue, supporting our community as it has done for so many years?
• LBH are in the process of asset-stripping in order to meet a £75m target. Can they confirm that The Beck and the surrounding land will not be sold to developers?
We still believe that the current operators are in the best position to secure the Beck’s future for the next 3 years and more. It is bitterly disappointing that Trafalgar were forced to begin exit preparations because of no appetite from LBH to accept their trial.
This weekend’s events have shown that this venue means so much to the community! Our public demonstration outside Uxbridge Tube station has made regional television and radio news and more and more people are talking about this campaign to save our theatre. We need its future secured for the next 50 years - Hillingdon Council must re-open a dialogue with the current venue staff and Theatre Director Steve Sargeant to work out a plan from January 2025. We STILL don't know of LBH's intentions and demand answers. We won't let them run down the clock to force an inevitable closure!
We don’t seek to create a rift or risk getting into a slanging match with the Council. Our campaign has been positive, and all we seek is for LBH to be open and honest with their plans for the building, as so far we have had no response to our concerns I have just addressed.
A full recording of the Public Meeting on Saturday will be available in due course and will be shared on our website backthebeck.org.
29/09/24: Demonstration outside Uxbridge Tube station:
From BBC London (https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/live:bbc_london)
Hundreds of people in west London have gathered to protest against the possible closure of a theatre.
Beck Theatre in Hayes is under threat as its owners, Trafalgar Theatres, has failed to reach an agreement with Hillingdon Borough Council over its funding.
Local people, who gathered outside Uxbridge Tube station to protest, said they were concerned that the council wanted to force the closure to make it look financially non-viable.
The council dispute this, saying it has no intention of closing the theatre and would find another provider if an agreement could not be reached with Trafalgar Theatres.
The dispute has been ongoing publicly for the last week, with the council saying it did not want to subsidise a "privately-operated commercial entity".
The current deal, which runs out in January, sees the theatre pay no rent on the use of the building.
Sunday's protest drew frustrated comments from one mother.
She told BBC London: “I have a child with autism who a journey to somewhere different, going far away in an unfamiliar environment, would be impossible for her to take part.
"Those children have been nurtured by the Beck team, they’ve been in a familiar place and they’ve been given an opportunity that they wouldn’t have had if that wasn’t there.”
Another protester added: “There are some people there that this is their only day out during the whole week.
"If you took that away from them then they would be lost, they would just be sitting in the house.”
Jonathan Haynes, who has been involved with the theatre for 30 years and is coordinating the Back the Beck campaign, said: “We’re concerned that they’re going to take on another lease with another provider, another operator, that may not be a theatre operator.
"We’re concerned that actually what the council are trying to do is to force the closure and make it look financially non viable.”
But Jonathan Bianco, deputy leader for the council, said that was not its plan.
“We have no intention of closing the theatre," he said, adding: "Our intention is to keep this theatre open."
Trafalgar Entertainment said given the removal of financial support and issues around building repair liabilities, it could not continue to run the building.
28/09/24: Statement from Theatre Director Steve Sargeant, read at the Public Meeting at the Beck Theatre on 28/09:
Good afternoon.
When I was initially approached by the campaign to host a public meeting at The Beck, I refused. I didn’t want this building to become a political battlefield. But, we are here today because, quite frankly, there is no other venue.
There are few things that it’s important for me to say today, and I say them as someone who has lead this extraordinary organisation for nearly 7 years, someone whose only loyalty is to this Theatre and someone who has seen first hand the crucial value of Arts and Culture in this area. My only agenda is to protect this Theatre for you.
Firstly, I want to speak on why we are here today and why this fight, the fight to save The Beck is so important. I also want to share with you some facts, devoid of spin, devoid of any political point-scoring because I believe in transparency. So that’s what you will get from me today.
Many people think that Arts and Culture is a ‘nice to have’ and at a time when so much across our society is broken and ordinary people are facing so many challenges, that our focus should be elsewhere, but I disagree.
The arts are essential to any complete national life.
Those aren’t my words, those are the words of Winston Churchill. Who also- it is reported- refused to cut funding for the Arts during the War effort, responding ‘Then what would we be fighting for’. During times of strife, the Arts become even more important, providing sanctuary and relief from challenges that surround us. Put simply, in Theatres like this one, we’re not selling tickets, we’re selling quality of life.
Our Theatres also bring people together, in a way that we must protect. Just a few weeks ago, the deep divisions in our society were exposed, leading to terrifying scenes across the country as riots took hold in our communities. There are lots of things that contributed to those horrifying scenes, but I can’t help but observe that the deepening of these divisions in recent years coincides with the removal of cultural and community spaces. Every time we lose an Arts centre, a community hub, a youth club, library or other civic space, we lose the opportunity to learn about each other. We lose the opportunity to make meaningful connections to the world around us and we lose a little bit of what it means to be a part of a community. We now have so few spaces designed to bring people together and that must change if we are going to repair our society and move forward.
There are other benefits, too. Leading Evidence from academia and the Ministry of Justice indicates that the arts support the process of desistance from crime by fostering empathy, building family connections and playing a role in restorative justice. Put simply, Arts and Culture provision reduces crime.
It also makes us healthier. The world health organisation says this:
Artistic expression grew in lockstep with human cultural development and has long played an integral part in how we teach, learn, communicate and heal. Since our earliest ancestors began telling stories to make sense of the world, we have evolved to learn from narrative. In recent decades, we have come to understand the intrinsic health benefits to artistic and leisure activities. Art can help us to emotionally navigate the journey of battling an illness or injury, to process difficult emotions in times of emergency and challenging events. The creation and enjoyment of the arts helps promote holistic wellness and can be a motivating factor in recovery.
Arts and Culture also puts money in our bank accounts. As it currently stands, the Creative Industries contribute £126bn to the UK economy. Here in Hayes, The Beck has a local economic impact of £3m per year. That’s not money spent here, that’s money spent in the local area by our visitors and employees. That’s money straight into the pockets of local residents.
So the argument is clear. Arts and Culture improves our lives, it makes us healthier, safer, richer. Much has been made of the subsidy that this Theatre has historically received and I’ve been told multiple times recently that ‘we just can’t afford to’. What that means is we can’t afford for our communities to be safer. We can’t afford for our residents to be healthier and we can’t afford to support local business and local employees. You know what I say- we can’t afford not to.
It’s with this determination that my team and I have approached running this Theatre and delivering life-changing projects for people right across West London, despite the acute challenges we have faced along the way. Here are some facts from across the Arts sector.
The UK has one of the lowest levels of Government spending on culture among European nations, and was one of a small minority of countries to reduce total culture spending per person between 2010 and 2022.
Between 2009/10 and 2022/23 Local government revenue funding of culture and related services decreased by 48% in England.
And between 2018 and 2023 there was a 23% fall in the number of music, theatre, dance and comedy events in the UK.
Despite these challenges, The Beck has gone from strength to strength, leaning in to it’s ‘community-first’ model and doubling down on providing a world-class programme that’s accessible to everyone and ensuring that every person in this area has the opportunity to experience the transformational potential of the Arts.
I think it’s fair to say that we have seen the ugly side of ego in the war of words that has played out over the last 10 days or so. So there’s something else that I want to share as we continue further into this meeting and it comes from down the road in Battersea, where in the mid 1800’s, their town motto was this: Not for me, not for you, but for us. This building and this meeting is about everybody, it’s about the things that bring us together, the things that raise us up in times of challenge and the things that we celebrate in times of triumph. It is not for me, not for you, but for us.
Thank you.
23/09/24: Latest statment from #BackTheBeck
There have been some statements made over the last 72 hours from London Borough of Hillingdon (LBH) that the Council do in fact want to save The Beck. However all of their actions thus far seem to say the opposite. We have tried to set the record straight and the statement provided by Trafalgar Entertainment (the venue’s current operators) supports this; you can read this here:
https://www.trafalgarentertainment.com/2024/09/20/statement-from-trafalgar-theatres/
Negotiations between Trafalgar Entertainment (the current operators) and Hillingdon Council broke down because LBH did not accept Trafalgar’s proposal: to operate a zero subsidy three year deal on peppercorn rent running to January 2028, saving the LBH £270K per annum. It should be noted that this subsidy has been offered by LBH in the past to help the Beck engage with the local community in Hillingdon – hosting events in partnership with Hillingdon Music Service and with local schools, dance schools and charities, as
explained by Trafalgar in their latest statement. Their Creative Learning work has touched the lives of thousands of local people and includes, amongst many other initiatives, Community Choirs, Workshops, Dementia Friendly Film screenings and Youth projects. With the current lease ceasing by the end of the year, LBH haven’t offered another one on acceptable terms and so Trafalgar has been forced to cease
operations - they did not take the decision to walk away lightly.
If LBH do not want Trafalgar to remain as the venue operator, then they must clarify how they intend to keep the venue open from 2025, because with no agreement in place no shows can happen and no tickets can be sold. Changing operators is not as straightforward as just handing over the keys. There are a number of operational considerations, including the fact a lot of the assets are owned by Trafalgar so these will go when they leave. These include critical equipment to run the shows, like lighting and sound desks, a lot of the lighting rig, foyer furniture, office equipment, software to sell tickets. There is also currently nothing scheduled from January despite a few odd bookings that had gone on sale prior to the breakdown in contract negotiations described above.
Without a proactive backer which can allow the venue to thrive, it simply won’t be able to sustain itself and this will give the Council the justification they need to close it for good. We cannot afford for these challenges to serve as justification for the closure of the theatre, or allow the theatre to be financially mismanaged so that there is the perfect excuse to close it 18 months down the line.
We have seen this happen before with several other public services: HACS tearoom and the three public nurseries (Uxbridge, South Ruislip and Nestle) which were due to close have also suffered haphazard decisions by the Council. The tearoom had its funding removed by LBH and the council blamed the charity that had been running it for not stumping up the money.
The nurseries had been running with very high outgoings and we were told they were not financially viable - but the Council could have foreseen this over the years, done its sums properly, and could have changed to a cost-effective provider. LBH made no effort to make the nurseries commercially viable, then said they had to close for this very reason. An example of how this was implementing below inflation rate increases and using agency staff throughout, which exacerbated their financial difficulties.
There is a theme whereby this Council regularly financially mismanages public services. They are then deemed at risk of closure, and then the property is sold for yet more flats. Public buildings in prime locations should remain for the enjoyment of the public. Uxbridge Library is another example of this. So too on a central government level are police stations such as West Drayton. The government cut police funding
over 5 years (by 20%) - this police station and others closed and had to be sold.
So to bring it back to The Beck, we have a number of questions for LBH that so far we have failed to get any answers to:
We are concerned that Cllr Ian Edwards is claiming that LBH had discussed with Trafalgar the option of a ‘new, modern Beck Theatre on the site with Trafalgar continuing at the helm’ - this is simply not the case. And if it was - what are their plans? Because we have seen so often that buildings are closed with an intention they will be demolished and re-built, but once closed the appetite wanes and they sit derelict for
years before being sold to a private developer for flats. Or worse, the site gets demolished, gets turned into a housing estate or a new development, and a much smaller, studio theatre is built to “tick a box”, although anything smaller than the Beck would make it completely non-viable for the wide ranging community dance shows, youth theatre productions and professional tours.
We are organising a Public Meeting on Saturday 28th September at 1600 at The Beck Theatre as we need to address these concerns publicly with representatives from LBH in the room, and for the local community to have an opportunity to ask questions.
We will also be staging a demonstration outside Uxbridge tube station at 1100 on Sunday 29th September. The fight to preserve The Beck is far from over - but we hope that given the overwhelming public response, LBH will be able to address our concerns publicly and re-open a dialogue with the venue to plan for the next chapter in its future and preserve it in Hayes for the next 50 years.
20/09/24: Back the Beck’ campaign launched to keep West London theatre open - release from The Stage
Full story: https://www.thestage.co.uk/news/back-the-beck-campaign-launched-to-keep-west-london-theatre-open
Campaigners have called for local and national action to save West London’s Beck Theatre, which is facing imminent closure.
Trafalgar Theatres, the venue’s operator, has announced it is preparing to exit the venue following the withdrawal of financial support from Hillingdon Council.
The ‘Back the Beck’ campaign has raised the alarm online, calling on culture secretary Lisa Nandy as well as local residents to "mobilise" and salvage Trafalgar’s operation of the venue, without which it says the theatre will be lost "for good".
Trafalgar’s statement marks a breakdown in two years of negotiations with the council following the conclusion of Trafalgar’s 15-year contract operating the venue in July 2022.
Amid discussions about a new, revised contract, the council sought to withdraw its subsidy of the theatre, with Hillingdon Council’s leader Ian Edwards arguing that it “should not be subsidising a privately owned commercial entity with council taxpayers’ money”.
Despite labelling this lack of direct financial support "extremely challenging", Trafalgar Theatres accepted the withdrawal, requesting the council bear the cost of adequate repairs to the building.
According to Trafalgar Theatres, after further back and forth, Hillingdon Council said its "final position" was a trial period of nine months for the new arrangement with "little responsibility for the physical fabric of the venue", which Trafalgar deemed "untenable".
Trafalgar Theatres has now publicly confirmed its intention to begin exit preparations after its pantomime later this year, saying in a statement it had done "everything in its power" to secure its continued operation of the venue.
Citing a statement from Edwards and the breakdown in negotiations, Trafalgar said it had been left with the impression that the council did not want to see Trafalgar continue to operate the Beck.
Edwards’ statement referred to Trafalgar Theatre’s accounts, which showed retained earnings of £18.856 million and which he said amounted to "healthy opportunities for further income generation".
He added that although the council remained committed to continuing negotiations, it was "bitterly disappointed" by the publicising of Trafalgar’s ceasing of activity on social media.
However Trafalgar said it was not directly behind the online ‘Back the Beck’ campaign, although it "shared its feelings".
"While we understand that this campaign may have prompted councillor Edwards’ public statement, it does clearly demonstrate the strength of community feeling and concern in the borough regarding the future of the Beck.
"We share those feelings and, while it is not possible for Trafalgar to continue, we do not want to see the building close."
Trafalgar added that it was heartened by the council’s indication that it would seek alternative operating arrangements, including managing the venue itself, and called for the Beck’s team and audiences to get "the certainty they deserve regarding future cultural provision in Hillingdon".
However the ‘Back the Beck’ campaign, which is picking up traction on social media, is demanding an immediate three-year extension for Trafalgar’s proposed nine-month trial period, allowing it to stay at the venue and "play catch-up on the time it’s lost while in limbo".
Its online statement continued: "To keep the Beck running, [Hillingdon Council] need to guarantee the full three-year lease now, or confirm that it will operate the venue itself as this is the only way the Beck will remain open from January 2025."
"Let’s be honest," it continued "once it is all boarded up, and then becomes a victim of arson, or theft or other forms of vandalism, it won’t be in a fit state to reopen. We will have lost a vibrant ray of light from our community upon which we so depend."
"If the venue were to close, there would be no professional mid-scale theatre in West London between Hammersmith and High Wycombe, and no home to the countless dance schools, youth groups and choirs that use the same stage to perform and enrich their lives," the campaign group added.
20/09/24 11.30: Our response to the LBH statement
The response from the Council suggests the Council has no plans to close the Beck Theatre.
However, from January 2025 there is currently no one to operate the theatre, nor will there be any staff working inside the building. LBH have offered the current operators the shortest lease they can (just 9 months to September 2025). This is untenable for any operator, which is why it can’t be agreed. We understand that Trafalgar had already agreed to a trialling a zero-subsidy model, but it needs time to be implemented and developed if The Beck is going to be protected long-term. This has been communicated to LBH. A three year extension would allow Trafalgar to programme shows, launch a new events venture and recover the losses which will be made in the first few months of 2025, whilst they play catch-up on the time they’ve lost whilst in limbo. To keep the Beck running, LBH need to guarantee the full 3 year lease NOW, or confirm that it will operate the venue itself as this is the only way the Beck will remain open from January 2025.
The LBH are drawing attention to a Cabinet resolution on 28/06/24 (the notes from which can be found below). But if a three year extension isn’t offered now, there will be no other operator, no staff and no shows.
We need our representatives and Councillors from LBH to confirm the operational plan for The Beck from January onward now.
We ask all of you to send in Freedom of Information requests to foi@hillingdon.gov.uk with the above questions. Details of what must be included in your FOI can be found https://www.hillingdon.gov.uk/foi
As each day passes with no resolution, we get closer to a point where there won’t be time to schedule new shows for the New Year. No shows. No tickets sold. An empty theatre. This is what we are heading towards. Without these, no theatre will survive. If another operator were to accept the 9 month extension, which would be completely non-viable on their part this would not solve anything overnight.
Programming takes months of planning, and relies on intricate strategic planning from both the touring production, and also the venue. And most promoters have already booked their venues for early 2025.
Time and space must also be offered to local community productions, which also takes months of planning from their part to make stories and shows that they want to share. The people in our community deserve the opportunity to shine and grow, through projects such as the Beck Community Choir, Summer Youth Project, International Women’s Day, and the many dance and performing arts shows from schools and academies in the local area.
So if LBH do want the Beck Theatre to remain, their current actions aren’t allowing this to happen.
Save Our Theatre. #BackTheBeck
——
Cabinet Resolution Notes from 28/06/2024, where it was agreed that LBH:
1) Agrees the extension of the existing contract to ensure the continued delivery of high-quality theatre and cultural offer at the Beck Theatre, Hayes until December 2024 on a reduced subsidy level between July 2024-December 2024;
2) Agrees to delegate authority on a further extension (maximum of three years) based on a zero-subsidy model to the Corporate Director of Place, in consultation with Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Residents’ Services;
3) Agrees to peppercorn rent for this extension period on similar terms as the current arrangement.
The full decision details can be found here:
https://modgov.hillingdon.gov.uk/ieDecisionDetails.aspx?Id=3186
19/09/24: A message from Steve Sargeant, Theatre Director
Steve sent this message personally as a reply to an email he was sent from a supporter and member of the local community. This is not a public statement but we felt compelled to share it.
I just wanted to share a quick personal note in response to the whirlwind events of the last 24 hours.
When I wrote to our community groups yesterday, I did so because Hillingdon residents who rely on The Beck to present their events deserve the opportunity to make alternative arrangements. I didn’t expect that letter to be shared so widely and never in my wildest dreams did I expect the community to pull together in such an extraordinary display of support and solidarity.
I can’t speak on behalf of Trafalgar Theatres (who have not released any public statement about The Beck), but I can speak on behalf of myself and my team and I wanted to share just how moved we have been by the incredible response from the communities we are proud to serve. LBH has not yet offered any clarity, so it is not just the venue that is at risk, but also the employment of The Beck team. The outpouring of support has been a real comfort during this deeply uncertain time.
I’ve been asked countless times to respond to Cllr Lavery’s pretty shocking statement yesterday and I’ve thought long and hard about whether I should. In the end, I’m not sure what is to be gained. The strength of feeling in Cllr Lavery’s statement is palpable, but I don’t believe residents have an appetite for any kind of political mud-slinging.
Based on the conversations I have had with Cllr Lavery, he knows that his statement yesterday is factually inaccurate, but the priority has to be protecting The Beck for the future and I wouldn’t want to be distracted from this by the temptation to correct falsehoods.
I remain ever hopeful that meaningful dialogue can be sustained and the future of The Beck can be protected for generations to come.
But for me, this isn’t just about The Beck, and it’s not just about Theatre- it’s bigger than that. It’s about community, it’s about the value of spaces that bring people together and- fundamentally- it’s about quality of life. Because that’s what our cultural and community spaces provide.
The Ministry of Justice acknowledges that access to Arts & Culture lowers crime rates. The World Health Organisation acknowledges that access to Arts & Culture improves health outcomes. And the economic impact of our cultural spaces puts money back in the pockets of local residents.
Safer. Healthier. Richer.
That’s why The Beck is worth protecting and that’s why I’ve been so inspired by the community response.
Take care,
Steve
Steve Sargeant
Theatre Director
The Beck Theatre
18/09/24: Letter to Beck Theatre stakeholders from Steve Sargeant, Theatre Director
Dear friends,
It is with enormous disappointment that I’m writing to advise you that Trafalgar Theatres’ future at The Beck Theatre has been made untenable and we are now forced to make preparations to exit The Beck Theatre at the end of this calendar year. Whilst we do not know for sure, our concern is that the theatre may be at risk of permanent closure.
As you may know, The Beck Theatre is owned by London Borough of Hillingdon and operated by Trafalgar Theatres. Our agreement to operate The Beck is due to expire after our Pantomime later this year and we have been in constant dialogue with LBH since late 2023 to explore a new agreement that would give certainty and would protect The Beck for the future.
Trafalgar Theatres has been diligent in exploring all options that would allow us to continue operating The Beck and we have been steadfast in our solutions-oriented and collaborative approach to protecting this flagship cultural venue.
We have been clear with LBH that we urgently needed clarity from them on the future operation if we were to secure a high-quality programme from 2025 onwards - and provided them with a deadline for decisions - after which it would be impossible to do so.
We are deeply disappointed that this deadline has now passed without agreement. We must now start making exit plans to be activated once our agreement ends in January 2025 . LBH have so far been unable to provide us with any clarity around any proposed alternative operation of The Beck, and our concern, therefore, is that The Beck may close its doors.
For nearly 50 years The Beck has been the cornerstone of Arts and Culture for Hillingdon, West London and beyond. Not just a professional Theatre with a world-class programme, but also a hub of creativity, creative learning and community outreach. There is no other Theatre like The Beck in the UK and no other venue of a similar scale with a 10-mile radius. The closure of The Beck would therefore be a
devastating blow not just to audiences but also to the myriad local organisations, charities and communities that we support. I am deeply sorry that we find ourselves in this position.
Unfortunately, we are not able to advise on any future plans for The Beck. Should you have questions, however, you may wish to write to the Corporate Director of Place, Karrie Whelan on kwhelan@hillingdon.gov.uk who will be in a position to respond.
Thank you for your continued support of The Beck Theatre.
Yours,
Steve Sargeant
Theatre Director
© #BackTheBeck
We need your consent to load the translations
We use a third-party service to translate the website content that may collect data about your activity. Please review the details in the privacy policy and accept the service to view the translations.