The head trustee of an under-threat historic hall in Oakham has said it will have to be sold off unless a deal with the council to take it over is agreed. 

At Oakham Town Council's meeting on Wednesday 10 September, chairperson of Victoria Hall's trustees Thomas Tyler told the councillors there is not enough money coming into the venue to keep it running and pay staff. 

He said the hall in Oakham High Street, which has been bailed out twice in the past 12 months by the town council, has been under pressure since the pandemic and necessary repairs can no longer be made. 

At the meeting, held at ROL House in Long Row, Mr Tyler said: "For many years the cash flow has not provided sufficient service income to enable to trustees to keep up with maintenance. 

"We are now at a point where the cash flow does not support the day-to-day running of the hall. 

"Income has dwindled, costs have gone up, and we are now at a point where we are facing a negative cash flow situation. We are also at a point where the physical state of the hall is affecting our ability to accommodate certain new bookings." 

He said trustees felt a 'once and for all' decision was needed over saving the hall as a community asset for Oakham or closing it using the process laid out by the Charity Commission. 

The latter option would see any proceeds redirected by the Charity Commission. 

Mr Tyler said the main cost was staffing and a hall of its size could not run without staff. 

The proposal is for the town council to take over the ownership and running of the hall.  

A survey paid for by the council has found that as much as £430,000 could be needed for external repairs and an internal renovation.  

Earlier this year the council agreed to move its headquarters from ROL House to Victoria Hall. 

At the meeting it was decided to allocate £20,000 towards a feasibility study looking at the costs and liabilities the authority could face if it takes ownership. 

The funding for repairs is likely to come from the Community Infrastructure Levy – funding provided to the council from developers for local scheme. Chairman of Oakham Town Council Chris Nix said they could also apply for grants. 

Cllr Paul Ainsley said he was keen not to abandon the hall, and while Cllr Martin Brookes said he did not want the hall to 'collapse,' he pointed out "the hall is an utter mess and we are going to be liable for their debts". 

The town council is currently employing the hall's manager Melanie Palmer as an administrator and last night agreed to extend the temporary contract for another six months at a cost of £8,000. 

Council clerk Chris Evans assured councillors there would be no conflict of interest between her two roles. 

A number of other issues were discussed at the meeting, and at times there were uncomfortable scenes in the council chamber. 

When attempting to ask questions about previous meetings' minutes and the monthly budget papers, Cllr Brookes got into dispute with the chairman, Cllr Nix said the councillors were 'not here for a debating shop'. 

Cllr Brookes became frustrated after asking questions about the accounts and after being told by the chairman he was 'dominating the discourse' he was told to 'be quiet' and given a warning. 

Cllr Brookes continued to speak, asking: "I want to know why I am being ignored" and was removed from the meeting by Cllr Nix. 

After he said he would apologise for an outburst, he was allowed to re-join the meeting.  He claimed that his emails to office staff were being ignored. 

The authority has had many disputes over the past year and will soon meet with legal officers from the county council to discuss a way forward. Jonathan Nichols was co-opted on to the council as a new member.