Honiton: Public consultation on the future of The Beehive to take place

The people of Honiton are invited to share their opinions on the future of The Beehive at a public consultation taking place next week.

The event will take place at Mackarness Hall on Tuesday 26 July between 10.30am and 7.30pm. Councillors will be available to answer questions and there will be a short survey to complete.

A Beehive spokesperson said: "This is an opportunity for you to let the town council know how you feel, contribute your ideas and share your preferences to help us plan for the future.

"Please come along and share your thoughts."

The Beehive's finances have been affected by Covid-19 and rising bills. It is owned by Honiton Town Council (HTC) and they are considering a range of options, but they hope to keep it open. The council leased the building to Honiton Community Complex in 2015 for 10 years, and they are now considering their next steps.

In May, in order to keep HCC as a tenant, HTC agreed to underwrite HCC's costs on a three-month rolling basis, for a maximum for 12 months.

Since the money involved is tax payers' money, the council wish to hear the views of the local community before they make their decision.

The building could be sold (meaning it would no longer be a community space), left to run the remaining part of its lease supported by HTC, operated as a charity or the building could be leased by the council to a commercial organisation.