Council has to fork out €100,000 for Town Hall

The City Council had to fork out an extra €100,000 for the operation of the Town Hall Theatre and Black Box last year, despite an increase in attendances.

Councillors were told that unexpected costs in relation to the upkeep of the Town Hall, combined with a cancellation of a five-week show, and a cut in Arts Council subsidies had led to an increased drain on Council resources.

The local authority’s Head of Finance, Edel McCormack, said she was “disappointed” with the figure, which is in excess of the existing €100,000 subsidy from the Council.

Senior Executive Officer for Arts and Culture, Gary McMahon, explained that the Town Hall building is 20 years old and requires upkeep, and there was also some unexpected work required last year in terms of compliance with Health and safety regulations.

He said attendances were up in 2015, but Box Office takings were down.

“One single booking for five weeks didn’t materialise as expected,” said Mr McMahon.

He added that over time, Arts Council funding has been cut by €30,000.

“We’re working on a plan in relation to this,” he said.

For the rest of this story, see this week’s Galway City Tribune