Issue - meetings

Review of the Castle Concerts

Meeting: 17/12/2019 - Cabinet (Item 7)

7 Castle Concerts Analysis and Future Options PDF 494 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Background:

This report provided details of the Castle Concerts’ recent financial challenges and provided details of a viable option to ensure the Council removed the financial risks associated with delivering a commercial music concert series.

The report included details of the financial analysis of the Castle Concerts since 2009/10 which stated that expenditure had consistently outweighed income with the exception of 2017, when Craig David played two nights and a surplus of the income of £3,000 was generated. The report also provided details of ticket sales, costs of event marketing, costs of event performers, costs of event staging, ticket prices and the average margin per ticket.

The report provided details of three options for consideration with option 3 (third party delivery) representing the recommended way forward.

The Regeneration, Culture and Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee considered this report on 5 December 2019 and its comments were set out in section 6 of the report.

A Diversity Impact Assessment had been undertaken on the proposals, as set out in Appendix 2 to the report.

Decision number:	Decision:
	The Cabinet noted the comments of the Regeneration, Culture and Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee, as set out in section 6 of the report.
157/2019	The Cabinet agreed that the Council withdraw from the direct delivery of the Rochester Castle Concerts and agreed to instruct officers, in consultation with the Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for Housing and Community Services, to work with a third-party (option 3) to deliver a commercial music concert series in Medway removing the Council from future financial risk.

Reasons:

This will enable a continued commercial music concert offer in Medway whilst removing the Council from future financial risk.