Alsager Civic is expected to have made a £160,000 loss due to its closure during the pandemic.
Details of the estimated six-figure financial hit was announced to councillors during a meeting of the town council’s Alsager Civic and Services Committee meeting last week.
A report prepared for councillors said: “Alsager Civic’s operations have been impacted by covid since mid-March 2020. The manager believes that activities will not return to pre-covid levels until spring 2022, as a result of continuing restrictions, reduced customer confidence and disposable income.
“Alsager Civic’s operating income is currently forecast to be around £204,000 adverse to the budget. Income has also been incorporated into the forecast for monies received from covid-related Government grant schemes.”
The report said that The Civic was expected to be “significantly adversely impacted financially” by the coronavirus in financial year 2020-21 and general reserves would be utilised to finance operations during the year.
The overall impact of the reduced income, grant income, cost savings and additional costs is around £45,000 against the budget set.
Town clerk Nicola Clarke said: “This is to the end of January so we have a couple more months to go where savings can be made so I would say, forecast at the end of January, to be losing somewhere in the region of £160,000?”
The impact the coronavirus has had on The Civic was echoed in the figures from last financial year, when there was a deficit of £27,217 while the year before the deficit was £11,012.
The Civic is currently being used twice a week, on Mondays and Thursdays, as a location for lateral flow tests manned by a team of volunteers.
