East Lane Theatre in Wembley faced with closure after a proposed giganic rent increase by Brent Council has launched a petition:
We the undersigned petition the council to reconsider the rent increase of circa 5000% on the current rent of £1,500 per annum on our small, volunteer run theatre. An affordable rent for East Lane Theatre Company (ELTC), a valuable community asset, would ensure it can continue to serve the community of Brent.
East Lane Theatre Club (ELTC) has been in residence at the Vale Farm Tennis Pavilion since the early 1960s. ELTC have developed a theatre on the site and maintain & insure the buildings with no council funding. Although recognising the obligations on ELTC under the current lease to maintain the site on which the theatre is located, it is the theatre rather than the Council which has ensured the site remains in good order for many years.
ELTC were in negotiation over our lease renewal with Brent prior to their new Property Strategy being published with the Strategy having subsequently led to what the Club now feels is an unjustifiable high increase in their rental charge.
We the undersigned feel that Brent’s new Property Strategy should therefore make allowance for buildings that have a specific role and are used by the community also, in the case of ELTC, recognising the link to Brent’s Cultural Strategy.
The Club provides theatre at an affordable price, it supports its members’ wellbeing and provides a safe place to explore new skills. It entertains and supports residents unable to afford West End ticket prices or travel to the West End, with other similar local theatres in Greater London and other areas supported by their Councils.
We urge the Council to reconsider the way in which the Property Strategy has been applied to ELTC in order to avoid the theatre being destroyed by a rent hike it just cannot afford.
This ePetition runs from 09/02/2025 to 11/05/2025.
17 comments:
Can you please double check the link as it doesn't open - it says "This democracy.brent.gov.uk page can’t be found" - thanks.
Thanks. Just renewed the link and should be ok now.
This is just my thought but I’ve been seeing a lot of plausible petitions recently. Unlike the government petitions site, or change.org the Brent site doesn’t appear very user friendly, it’s quite hard to see responses to petitions and the site doesn’t encourage sharing of the petition like other websites. Some residents may also not want to directly disclose their details to Brent but want to support the matter with some level of privacy. I just wanted to note this here, as a lot of these petitions would probably get more support if they weren’t on the Brent site (in my opinion) not sure if anyone else agrees.
The other issue with this petition on Brent Council website is that people who regularly attend events at East Lane Theatre but do not live or work in Brent are unable to sign it even though they fully support the East Lane Theatre!!! We have several contacts unable to sign this petition.
On here there is the latest news from East Lane Theatre and a link to a "non resident petition" to sign if you do not live in Brent but want to support them...
https://www.eastlanetheatre.co.uk/page111.html
Not being funny but why should working class people be paying to keep a theatre open for the middle class A £1500 a year rent in London is a joke and now the council wants to charge something that actually reflects reality suddenly it is a crisis Give me a break
Let’s be real this is not about saving the community or access to culture It is about a group of people who have had a sweet deal for years now kicking off because they are being asked to pay a fairer price for the space Meanwhile actual working class people in Brent are being squeezed by ridiculous rents soaring bills and cuts to services Where is the petition for them
If this theatre is such an important community resource then why can’t it stand on its own two feet.
Theatre is nice but let’s not pretend it is a necessity that deserves public money when people are struggling to eat If they can’t afford the rent increase then maybe it is time for something new
If you go to East Lane Theatre website there is a non-Brent petition as well. Sadly Brent does not take into account non residents views, but at least the Club can gather how much support there is and present that to the officers.
The Kiln Theatre got £4.5 million from the Arts Council and Brent also fund them. Don't they get free rent from Brent?
Butt's on the Board of the Kiln isn't he?
The Wrong Demographic was heard coming from Butt's mouth, or so the rumours say.
What about the £6000 worth of freebie, and tax free, Wembley Stadium tickets that the Leader of Brent Council has accepted for himself and his family whilst putting up our hard earned council taxes yet again???
We can't afford to go to Wembley Stadium events and central London theatre prices are extortionate - the East Lane Theatre is a local gem that we should all treasure.
In local MP Barry Gardiner's letter, published in full here: https://www.eastlanetheatre.co.uk/page111.html, he says...
“I was frankly shocked when I read that the rent Brent Council proposed to charge had risen from £1,500 per annum to £75,000 per annum. In fact, I assumed this was a typographical error and asked whether it was supposed to be £7,500. … A 5,000 per cent rise is so obviously impossible for such a small amateur arts group that it almost looks like victimisation by the officers who suggested it.”
You’re comparing apples to pears. Why not stick to the topic? £1500 rent per year is ridiculous.
To "Anonymous28 March 2025 at 14:35" No offence but why should us hard working local people fund a £1million grant to a theatre im another area of Brent that is much larger than our tiny East Lane Theatre - the Kiln Theatre (previously the Tricycle had a £1million grant from Brent Council, has high profile celebrity backing, got an Arts Council grant of over £2million and got lottery funding ...
"19.1 Brent Council Cabinet approved a grant to the Tricycle Theatre of up to £1m representing the difference between the existing and potential HLF funding sources secured for the renovation of the theatre and the amount required to complete the renovation. ... 19.3 Brent Council Cabinet approved the appointment of the Tricycle Theatre on to the Local List as a cultural heritage asset thus enabling the theatre to progress with its application for funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund."
https://democracy.brent.gov.uk/mgDecisionDetails.aspx?IId=27623&Opt=1
Clearly it's one rule for one group and another rule for others!
According to this the Kiln Theatre had an income of over £4million last year mostly in grants (they obviously have very good contacts) but can't find out how much they paid in rent and who they paid the rent to???
https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/276892/financial-history
We know for sure that Brent gave them a £1million grant - why are they being subsidised so massively whilst East Lane Theatre right in our local community is being 'victimised'?
To "Anonymous29 March 2025 at 08:21" Have you actually been to the East Lane Theatre? It's a vital resource for local people run and fitted out by volunteers it is not a very privileged theatre getting huge grants from all different sources.
Can the East Lane Theatre not apply to become a charity? They would then be excempt from tax and certain other charges.
Can the East Lane Theatre not apply to be a cultural heritage asset? It's an important community resource providing live theatre productions to a very diverse audience, particularly those unable to travel into central London.
Can the East Lane Theatre not apply for CIL/NCIL grants? The council has a huge pot of money yet to be allocated.
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