TAMESIDE Council were offered several lifelines to secure the future of the Hippodrome.

That’s according to previous management company Live Nation.

The international company say they believe the council began their tendering process too late and say they offered to act as a consultant to current staff for free so the council could let them run the venue.

The revelation has sparked rumours that the council don’t want to reopen the building as a theatre.

Live Nation Divisional Manager Peter Evans said: "The council has failed to appoint another management company, due to their late tendering process and also their decision not to accept the offers made by interested parties – including two offers submitted by Live Nation.

"Live Nation believes that it is not necessary for the venue to close its doors and has made it clear to the council on several occasions that Live Nation considers the Hippodrome management and staff to possess the skills, expertise and knowhow to continue the venue’s operation.

"Live Nation is saddened about the closure of the venue and the inevitable loss of dedicated staff. Without help from the local council, Live Nation has worked tirelessly to assist staff including offering help in finding alternative jobs."

In response the council said: "Whilst the council is concerned about the staff, it is important to remember that Live Nation and not the council employ them. Staff are being made redundant by Live Nation, not the council. It is notable that Live Nation refused to express interest in the future management of the theatre during the tender process, although at the end of January, they did make a belated offer to continue running the theatre on condition that we nearly doubled their index-linked management fee over a 15 year period. Because there is no one who can employ the staff, and because there is no one else to run the theatre, it may be that the future of the theatre is run more along voluntary lines."

Hippodrome staff have still not received any redundancy money. They met with their union representative this week and drafted grievance letters. Judgement as to whether the money should be paid by Live Nation or the council now lies with the Employment Tribunals Service.

Box office employee Sharon Byron said: "It’s bad enough we’re losing our jobs but then we’ve got to go through all this.  It’s next week when it’ll hit me, when I won’t have anything to do or anywhere to go and no money to compensate for it."

Theatre staff wept as removal men cleared Tameside Hippodrome before the building was boarded up on Monday.

Songs from the musicals played out to an empty auditorium as chief electrician Shaun Everton made his final checks before switching all the power off at the 100 year old Ashton theatre.

Breaking down in tears, he explained how he would miss his ‘surrogate family’ every day.

"I just want to say a personal thank you to all the staff here for enriching my life," he said. I’ve been involved in this theatre all my life but worked here for 31 years. I met my wife here, she was working front of house. My daughter’s been here since she was little, it’s all she’s ever known. She’s nearly 12 now and she’s always been part of this amazing family."

Theatre manager Vanessa Rothwell added: "I’m completely devastated. I’m not diminishing the fact that people are going to be unemployed but it’s a loss of a theatre and vocation. All the staff here are local and it’s not just a job, it’s a vocation.

"At the end of the day it’s a massive change to us. We’ve been used to working anti-social hours for so long. In my first six months of marriage I spent more time in this building than at home."

Stagehand John Wall has worked at the theatre for 25 years.

"Years ago when the council first put it out to tender, myself and another member of the crew were going to remortgage our houses to give the council the bond they wanted to run the theatre, that’s how much faith we have in it. Theatre isn’t just a job, it’s a way of life. You’ve got to work as a team and that’s all gone."

Shaun added: "You’ve got to find the positives. Hopefully, the building will still be here and we can come back and visit, but once the boards go up and the building is left for a couple of months and damp sets in, you never know what will happen."

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