Fears have been raised that closing Elgin Town Hall could be “a disaster” for the performing arts across Moray.
The building could be axed as part of budget savings that also target similar facilities in Forres, Cullen and Findochty as well as the Fisherman’s Hall and Town House in Buckie.
A deadline of June next year has been set for community groups to submit applications to take over the buildings or risk seeing them close.
Last night, Tish Tindall, co-owner of the Lossiemouth Entertainment Academy, hit out at the closure risk to Elgin Town Hall, which is popular with theatre groups.
She said: “We use it three times a year for shows, it’s a fabulous facility. I can’t think where else we would be able to go in Moray.
“It would be a disaster if it closed. It’s the home for the performing arts in Moray. It’s where our young people see themselves performing.”
Elgin Town Hall underwent a £1.2million facelift during 2014.
Consultation documents published by the council yesterday reveal passing the six town halls as well as community centres in Cullen and Dufftown into the hands of the community will save £193,000 next year.
Authority officials believe the buildings are an “ideal opportunity” to be transferred into local ownership.
A petition calling for Buckie’s Fisherman’s Hall to be spared the axe has already attracted more than 1,000 signatures. The Forres Area Community Trust has also expressed an interest in taking over the Town Hall in that town.
Alistair Kennedy, chairman of Elgin Community Council, believes Elgin Town Hall should be generating income for the authority instead of being a burden.
He said: “I don’t know if it gets promoted enough. Instead of shutting it, they should be looking at ways to turn it around.
“Perhaps the community is better to do that. When the council ran the cafe at the library they were making a loss, since they passed it on it’s heaving all the time.”