Russell Brand has written to Michael Gove appealing for his assistance in saving his boyhood theater. The actor/comedian advised the secretary of state for leveling up, housing, and communities that Thurrock Council in Essex should not let the community suffer due to poor decisions.
Grays’s Thameside theatre complex is being considered for sale by the Tory-controlled council, which has debts of £1.5 billion.
The administration stated that the council should “examine all options.”
Brand, who performed at the theatre as a child, urged the council to accept Save Your Thameside’s “viable” offer.
The group desires to manage the complex on behalf of the council.
In a letter to the BBC, Brand stated,
“The local taxpayers should not suffer because the council lost its way by investing in concepts that have not produced fruit.”
“The closing of the theater would be another error.
“I urge you to intervene and prevent those whose activities have endangered the theater from closing it down.”
Brand, who was born and raised in Grays, requested an “urgent” meeting with Mr. Gove to discuss what his department might do to “secure support for this crucial community asset.”
The council, which is in debt due to a series of high-risk investments, may decide in April to hike the council tax by up to 9.99%.
Previously, Mark Coxshall, the leader of the council, stated that “everything is on the table” regarding the sale of assets.
In March, a decision was anticipated about the Thameside complex, which contains a 300-seat theater, museum, communal area, and library.
A spokesperson for the government stated,
“The department has no role in the sale of council-owned assets.”
“In light of Thurrock Council’s financial difficulties, it is appropriate that the authority, under the supervision of Essex County Council as commissioner, investigate all measures to improve its financial viability.
It is the expectation of the department that the council will consider the best interests of local inhabitants as part of any asset disposal decision.
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