TALKS are underway to save a community theatre in north Durham from closure and demolition.

Concerns have been raised about the future of the Lamplight Arts Centre in Stanley.

The venue attracts live music acts, plays and sports events and is managed by Leisureworks, an art and leisure trust, after it was handed over from Derwentside District Council.

But Durham County Council, which now owns the building and pays the trust a management fee, has said the subsidy will have to be reduced as a result of the cuts to local government funds.

Durham County Councillor Carl Marshall said: “This is one of the savings we are considering as part of a package that we have had to come up with.

“We have been working alongside the town council to come up with a business case and an operating plan for the building to keep it open.”

Durham County Council has invited Stanley Town Council to consider taking a stake in the Lamplight Arts Centre and members of the smaller authority are now considering the prospect.

Russell Morgan, clerk of Stanley Town Council, said: “The council has requested a reasonable time period in order to fully explore other options, such as, for example, appointing another operator or operating the building itself.

“The relevant Durham County Council director is scheduled to meet the chairman of Stanley Town Council to discuss the request in the next few weeks.

“Our officers continue to work on this matter with a view to presenting affordable and plausible options to elected members.”

Lindsay Tuck, Leisureworks chief executive, said the trust has successfully managed the Lamplight for the last six years.

She said: “We are aware that, unfortunately, due to the austerity measures Durham County Council are considering the future of the Lamplight. Leisureworks will continue to manage the venue until that future is determined."

North Durham MP Kevan Jones said the facility was much-needed in the former mining community.

He said: “It is one of the few community building in the centre of Stanley and it would be a shame to lose it. There is very little there and the cinema sessions there are very popular, especially with young people. Keeping it open is very important.”