Hartlepool's Centre for Excellence in Creative Arts closes to ease council's financial pressures

Following discussions between Hartlepool Borough Council chiefs regarding the future operation of the Centre for Excellence in Creative Arts (CECA), the local authority has decided to vacate the building.

The centre in King Oswy Drive boasts a 120 seat theatre, TV and sound recording studios, media suites, meeting rooms, dance and rehearsal studios.

It offered technical training routes and learning pathways for young people into the creative industries.

A report from council officers said “the running costs of the building cannot be covered by the income generated from room hire, resulting in an annual financial pressure of at least £90k”.

It added there is no budget allocated for staffing costs and there is no capital funding available to replace the boiler, which is “essential to enable the building to continue operating, and has an estimated cost of £140k”.

A council decision record from Tony Hanson, executive director, in consultation with other leading officers, stated there was also no funding to cover replacement or updating of specialist equipment.

It said: “In the absence of any capital funding or ongoing revenue funding from external sources to support the continued operation of the building, it is therefore necessary for the council to vacate the building.

It added this is “in order to reduce the in-year financial pressure associated with operating the building and to avoid further costs in future years”.

It said, however, that CECA “has been a valuable asset which was developed to provide a unique offer”.

The CECA Facebook page, posting on January 30, said: “CECA has now closed and will no longer be accepting any bookings.

“From all at CECA, we thank you for your support over the years.”

A spokesperson for the Diocese of Durham, which leased the building from the council, said: “Hartlepool Borough Council has leased the building from us since 2017 and has recently served notice.

“The diocese is keen to see the centre continue to be used as a community resource and is exploring how this might be made possible in partnership with other organisations.

“Interested parties are invited to contact us at [email protected].”