COUNCIL leaders have defended money-making measures after groups accused them of abandoning their principles by upping fees at a civic hall.

The hall in Wantage – rebranded The Beacon in April – has introduced new rules and prices, leaving some users claiming they have been priced out.

But Vale of White Horse District Council leader Matt Barber said the hall had to find a way to make more money or face closure after losing up to £100,000 a year in the past.

He said: “There have been threats of closure to the hall because it was running at a deficit – we have to get a lot closer to breaking even. We have invested in the future of The Beacon and it will be much more sustainable.”

The local authority spent £11,000 rebranding it as “The Beacon” in April, in an attempt to attract more business.

Mr Barber said the re-brand had been a success, attracting more people and bringing in more bookings.

But Wantage Community Church said it left the hall after 30 years this year when it was asked to pay four times the previous hourly rate to hire the hall on a Sunday.

Pastor Neil Townsend said the church was “very sad” to stop using the hall for its Sunday meetings which attracted up to 100 people.

He said: “They wanted to reduce the day to three or four hours in the morning while doubling the price we paid – effectively quadrupling the hourly rate.

“What they wanted us to pay and what we could afford weren’t compatible.

“I thought it was unfortunate that one of the first consequences of that was losing income from us.”

The church now meets at the Springfield Road Scout Hut.

The landlord of The Shoulder of Mutton pub in Wallingford Street, Peter Fowler, has also given up the venue due to increased costs. He used to hold various folk music events at the hall.

He said: “This hall was paid for by the community for the benefit of the community. The new management are clearly not servicing the community very well. I have found other arrangements now.

“The loss of revenue to the venue must be enormous, but not nearly as enormous as the loss of goodwill.”

As well as the increased fees, The Wantage Beer Festival was told it could not hire the hall because it did not fit with a new policy, which bans groups from selling their own food and drink.

Hall owners Vale of White Horse District Council will instead organise their own Oktoberfest beer festival.

One community group that is happy with The Beacon is the Friends of Wantage Cinema, which has donated money to show weekly films there.

Following a successful trial earlier this year, the regular weekend cinema will be continued through the autumn on Sundays.

The first films, this Sunday, will be Muppets Most Wanted at 11am and The Grand Budapest Hotel at 7.30pm.

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