Five organisations express interest in taking over historic arts venue

Nicholas Thomas, Local Democracy Reporter

Five organisations have expressed interest in taking over a historic arts venue once threatened with closure.

Caerphilly Council has now launched a formal tender process to find a new operator for Blackwood Miners’ Institute, the Grade II* listed building known locally as the ’Stute.

The process, advertised through the public sector procurement website Sell2Wales, is expected to run until mid-November.

However, cabinet members were advised at a meeting on Wednesday, October 14, to maintain “a sense of pragmatism and realism about the timelines” of any deal.

The council is seeking organisations with experience in arts, culture, heritage, entertainment and venue management, alongside a record of running sustainable, community-focused operations.

The successful applicant would oversee the venue’s management and artistic programme, work with local communities and develop commercial opportunities to help secure its future.

The ’Stute has served Blackwood as an arts and entertainment venue for decades, but its future was thrown into uncertainty in 2024 when the council proposed withdrawing its annual subsidy and mothballing the building.

The plans prompted public opposition and protests in the town. They were dropped after the Arts Council of Wales awarded further funding to the venue.

The council remains committed to transferring its operation to another organisation and reducing its own financial commitments, including an annual subsidy of around £350,000.

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