Horsham’s Drill Hall to stay open until Royal British Legion is ready for takeover
and live on Freeview channel 276
Last year, the council agreed to lease the hall to the Royal British Legion at a peppercorn rent for up to 30 years.
The handover was due to take place on April 1.
A report to a meeting of the cabinet on Thursday (March 24) showed that was unlikely to happen.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdIt said: “The Royal British Legion has recently made us aware that due to internal delays with their central surveyors and valuations teams, it is increasingly unlikely to be able to agree legal terms over the Drill Hall before the agreed handover date of 1 April 2022.”
The idea of closing the hall until the legal issues could be sorted out was rejected given the number of people who hire the facilities.
Instead, a short-term budget of £9,600 – £9,000 of income and £18,600 of expenditure – was added to the leisure services budget for 2022/23.
The report said: “The budget will enable the council to continue to operate the Drill Hall in the first quarter of 2022 whilst discussions with the Royal British Legion are finalised.”
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdThe meeting also saw the cabinet agree that three unexpected late grants would be carried over into the 2022/23 budget if unspent by March 31.
The grants were £100,000 to be spent on cyber security, £10,047 for biodiversity, and £35,000 t be spent on establishing a business case to support future funding bids.
For the latest breaking news where you live in Sussex, follow us on Twitter @Sussex_World and like us on Facebook @SussexWorldUK