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Conferencing plans for city music venue

A landmark music venue will be used to host conferences alongside concerts under major revamp plans aimed at securing its long-term future, it was announced today.

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Proposals have been put forward for Wolverhampton City Council invest a lump sum in the Civic Halls so it can scrap the £500,000 a year subsidy currently given to the city centre venue.

The Grand Theatre is also due for investment so it can attract big name West End shows and save the council £100,000 in grants between 2013 and 2017.

While the Civic Halls' main role will always be as concert venues, council bosses want to find a way to make it self sufficient.

A report reveals that income at the Civic Halls was £1.4 million between 2009 and 2012.

But the venue in North Street, which includes the Civic Hall and the Wulfrun Hall has seen a drop of £279,000 on bar takings and £115,000 in hall hire over the past three years. Nonetheless it has managed to pull in big name acts such as Blur.

The conference market is seen as lucrative and a way of helping to bridge the £500,000 a year gap.

The ruling Labour cabinet is keen to make the saving so that it can avoid cuts in other parts of its budget.

Mark Blackstock, manager of the Civic Halls said: "We are quite confident that the entertainment and conferencing market is a dynamic one.

"Any investment should bring good returns."

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