The Arts Council has refused to disclose the official detailed reasons behind its decision not to further fund the Coliseum.

Oldham Coliseum Ltd applied for nearly £1.85 million of funding over the next three years, but has been forced to announce it will permanently close its doors at the end of the month after the Arts Council refused to give it further funding.

ALSO READ: Oldham Coliseum: Council would be 'reckless' to save theatre.

Instead, the Arts Council has given the same amount of money to Oldham Council, which owns the Coliseum building but does not own Oldham Coliseum Ltd.

Oldham Coliseum Ltd uses the building with permission from Oldham Council.

The Arts Council confirmed that it is waiting for a proposal from Oldham Council as to how this money will be spent.

The Arts Council refused to give further details for the funding snub when asked under the Freedom of Information Act to do so by The Oldham Times, citing sections of the Act which mean information can be refused if it has been provided in confidence and if it is prejudicial to commercial interests.

When asked for further clarification on the matter, the Arts Council blamed financial and governance issues with Oldham Coliseum Ltd for the funding snub, but refused to go into further detail – saying this could discourage organisations from applying for funding in the future.

ALSO READ: Oldhamers cram into Coliseum with battle cry to 'save' it.

The Arts Council said a detailed explanation of the reasons had been given to Oldham Coliseum Ltd, but it is up to the organisation as to whether it discloses these reasons.

Arts Council responds

An Arts Council England spokesperson said: “Oldham Coliseum is a well-loved fixture in the town and understandably many people have strong feelings about the future of the theatre.

“Oldham Coliseum Ltd has been facing financial and governance challenges for some time and as guardians of public money we could not invest in an organisation which we assessed to be such a high risk.

“Their funding continues until the end of March after which we’ve agreed additional support of nearly £360,000 to help them with decisions about the future.

“Arts Council England is absolutely committed to supporting creativity and culture for the people of Oldham, and we’re standing by our commitment to invest £1.85 million in performing arts in the town and overall our investment in the arts in Oldham will be higher than ever before.

“The Oldham Coliseum building, which is reaching its natural end, is owned by Oldham Council and has never been part of our funding to the company.

“We are fully behind the plans shared by the Council for a new performing space that will be informed by the legacy of the Oldham Coliseum and which will ensure there’s brilliant theatre in Oldham for people to enjoy for years to come.”