I welcome the admission from David Redfern, Director of Leisure, Culture and Communities at Wiltshire Council (Salisbury Journal, 29th September 2023) that his team have made finding a third-party operator to run Salisbury City Hall a "key priority."
As I outlined at the Salisbury Area Board meeting, two of the potential options for the future management of the City Hall are the creation of:
(1) a Salisbury City Hall Trust (a registered charity) similar to the Trust which operates Portsmouth Guildhall, or:
(2) a Community Interest Company (a charitable company limited by guarantee) similar to St John’s Place, at Bemerton.
However the success of either option will depend on whether we have people in South Wiltshire with the requisite skills to put forward a credible case. We need the right people, with the right skills and the right experience to help make this happen.
You may be retired, or from a professional background in business, local government or fundraising. If you are reading this letter, and you think you could help play a part, please get in touch straight away. My address is 24 Queens Road, Salisbury, Wiltshire, SP1 3AJ (e-mail: paulsample61@gmail.com).