Council approves town hall lease deal

Waipā District Council approved a proposal to enter into a Lease and Services Agreement with the Cambridge Town Hall Community Trust at the Finance and Corporate Committee meeting on Tuesday.

The agreement will transfer the operational control of the Cambridge Town Hall to the Trust which aims to improve the facility’s condition and increase its usage over time, said Council’s deputy chief executive, Ken Morris.

Council has been working with the Trust over several months to finalise the agreement, developed based on the successful model established with the Waipā Community Facilities Trust, he said.

“The Waipā Community Facilities Trust is already successfully leasing, managing and operating the aquatic facilities across the district and ASB Stadium in Te Awamutu so we have developed the agreement with the Cambridge Town Hall Community Trust with this in mind.

“Our aim is to improve the condition and functionality of this much loved, iconic community facility and increase its usage over time. Council’s current Long Term Plan provides for a major redevelopment of the Cambridge Town Hall together with funding to achieve that,” Morris said.

The Trust was established in 2021 with the support of the Council following a resolution by the Finance and Corporate Committee in December 2020 as the preferred service delivery model for the hall.

The endorsement followed a one-month public consultation process seeking views for the future use and management of the facility.

Morris said one of the great features of a system with a charitable trust was that it could make proposals to funding partners and attract funds that might not be otherwise be available to the Council.