COUNCILLORS at Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council have agreed to undertake a “soft market testing” exercise to see if a shake-up of how borough events are run could save hundreds of thousands of pounds.

As previously reported by The Gazette, controversial plans have been put forward which could see the running of events, including Basingstoke Live and Basingstoke Festival, outsourced to a private company.

The proposals, which have been made by a group of councillors, officers and stakeholders, also include plans to cut borough council funding for cultural groups such as Anvil Arts, the trust that runs The Anvil and The Haymarket theatres.

A council report has stated that the borough council currently spends £481,000 per year on putting on events, but could save around £206,000 a year by getting an external organisation to run them.

In addition, cuts to a range of theatre and cultural groups in the borough could save £298,605 per year after 2019-20, while it has been suggested that a new organisation, called Hampshire Cultural Trust, could run Milestones Museum, Basing House and The Willis Museum, with funding support from the borough council.

Councillors on the borough council’s community, environment and partnerships committee have now agreed to recommend a “soft market testing” exercise which will see the viability of the plans tested before a final decision is made.

The exercise means that the borough council will approach external organisations to see if they express an interest in putting on the portfolio of events, and if the proposals go ahead, they will be invited to make detailed bids to hold the events.

But representatives from several cultural groups across the borough spoke out against the plans at the meeting.

Paul Midgley, from Drum Runners, spoke about the importance of Basingstoke Live and the need to keep it as a showcase for local talent, while Sushmita Pati, from Kala the Arts, spoke about the importance of her organisation across Hampshire.

Mary Swan, artistic director at Proteus Creation Space, told the meeting that she is in discussions with the borough council on the plans for the funding of the Creation Space and Proteus Theatre Company.

She said: “Put simply, the funding of just the Creation Space only enables us to cover the cost of physically opening and maintaining the building. Anything that happens within it, including income generation, is dependent on the theatre company and its staff.”

Councillor Jack Cousens, Labour ward member for Brookvale and Kings Furlong, and a leading supporter of Basingstoke Live, said: “I call this privatisation. I don’t want to see events like Basingstoke Live go down that avenue. If we are going to go down the avenue of commissioning, we would agree that the unique feeling of Basingstoke Live would change.”

Cllr John Izett, Conservative Cabinet member for property, finance and commissioning, told the meeting that he will undertake the marketing exercise before a final decision is made, adding: “I want to be absolutely clear that the administration recognises the value of the arts and culture scene in Basingstoke, and we want to continue to support it and enable it to grow.”