A popular arts, cultural and community venue will continue to operate following a decision made by Westmorland and Furness Council’s Cabinet.
The council has confirmed it will take over the management of ‘The Coro’ in Ulverston from January 1 2024 and has committed to keep the venue operating and to retain the current temporary pop-up library.
The Cabinet agreement follows the announcement by The Coro’s current operators – Ulverston Community Enterprises and its subsidiary Charitable Incorporated Organisation, Ulverston Coronation Hall – of its intention to pass responsibility for the day-to-day operation of The Coro back over to the council at the end of the year.
Ulverston Community Enterprises and Ulverston Coronation Hall has operated The Coro since 2016, under a lease management agreement with the previous authority, South Lakeland District Council.
In an announcement last week, the current operators said a combination of factors, including the impact of the pandemic, drastically rising costs and inflation, changes in audience and hirer behaviour, recruitment difficulties, and a tough landscape for arts and culture funding, meant they found themselves faced with an uncertain future and were unable to continue with their plans for the venue.
The Cabinet has allocated a £435,000 budget for The Coro’s running costs up to March 2025 and the council will also prepare a detailed operational model and business case for the operation of The Coro after March 2025.
This will be presented back to Cabinet for consideration by no later than September 2024.
The business case will consider what capital investment would be required to enhance the visitor experience at The Coro and to improve the long term sustainability of the venue.
The temporary pop-up library service will continue to be provided from The Coro and Ulverston Market Hall while options for reinstating the permanent library offer in Ulverston are developed and consulted on.
Councillor Virginia Taylor, Westmorland and Furness Council’s cabinet member for sustainable communities and localities, said: “This decision today secures the immediate future of The Coro and will hopefully provide reassurance that this popular cultural and community venue will continue to operate.
“The Coro currently hosts national and international acts alongside local events and community organisations.
“It is a historic building built by public subscription and so it is right that it continues as a much-loved local venue. We will be carrying out an extensive appraisal and putting together a full business case of options to keep the Coro for the people of Ulverston in the long term.
“We would again like to place on record our thanks to the dedicated staff, board members and volunteers of both UCE and UCH who have worked tirelessly since 2016 to operate the Coro and to provide the town with a vibrant cultural offering, and a venue for many community groups and events.
“We recognise that a change in the management may cause some uncertainty, but we can reassure the community that we absolutely recognise the importance of The Coro to Ulverston and our ambitions are to maintain, protect and enhance its role as a vital arts, cultural and community venue.’’
Work is now ongoing to fully investigate and understand the emerging opportunities that result from having The Coro back under local authority control from January.
In the meantime, all public and private events booked in up until the end of 2023 will be going ahead as planned, and anyone with an event pencilled in for 2024 will be contacted over the coming weeks.
