Boom in demand sees new role created at Rugby's Benn Hall

Booming business has prompted Rugby Borough Council to seek a full-time duty manager at Benn Hall.

The town centre events venue had to spend more than two-and-a-half times its casual staffing budget to cope with demand during the financial year 2022-23 and has had to turn away bookings, according to a council report.

It is currently staffed by two full-time managers and three part-time staff with the new recruit set to cut the reliance on casual staff, enable more bookings and be trained to offer technical support for sound and lighting at smaller events.

The council’s cabinet – the panel of Conservative councillors in charge of major service areas – this week unanimously backed funding of £31,000 per year for the role to cover up to £24,000 in salary payments plus pension and national insurance contributions. Another £9,000 has also been allocated to cover the role from this month until the end of the financial year.

It is anticipated that the surge in takings and savings on payments to casual staff and technical support will cover the cost of the post.

Councillor Adam Daly (Con, Hillmorton), the borough’s portfolio holder for leisure and wellbeing, said: “The service has seen fantastic growth in bookings, bar sales and ticket income that are now exceeding pre-pandemic delivery.

“This is having an impact on the staff they currently have, they are having to rely a lot on overtime working and additional casual staffing and they are also having to refuse bookings.

“The creation of this additional role will add extra capacity. There is already a significant number of bookings for 2024-25 which makes this seem like a sensible move.

“We are currently overspending on the budget for casual staff because we are relying on them to help run some of these events so I think this is a really good move and one that will help the Benn Hall to grow.”

The move and the progress that has led to it was also welcomed by both opposition parties.

Councillor Ish Mistry (Lab, New Bilton) said: “It is good news. After Covid we have seen the same at the Indian centre, we are fully booked, so I think life is getting back to normal.”

"Hopefully it will be good for the economy as well.”

Councillor Jerry Roodhouse (Lib Dem, Paddox) added: “It was not long ago that we were talking about closing it so it is welcome to see the improvements and all the hard work from the staff.”