The February half-term across Nottinghamshire has come to an end and as a key opportunity to draw in families from across the country, Nottingham's tourist attractions will now be poring over their week's earnings. But at one of the city's most internationally recognised venues, it is not earnings that are being totted up, but losses.
The beginning of 2023 provided an unexpected glimmer of hope in the form of Councillor Pavlos Kotsonis, the man who holds the leisure and culture brief at Nottingham City Council. Cllr Kotsonis told a full public meeting that Nottingham could expect the announcement of a reopening date for Nottingham Castle in January.
It was certainly welcome news to kick off the new year, given that 2022 ended unceremoniously with the castle's closure after the trust running it collapsed. The failure of the Nottingham Castle Trust led to lost jobs, deep concern among local businesses and the gates being closed on a site with a history that stretches back to 1068.
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But while the pledge of a reopening date announcement in January came as welcome news to the people of Nottingham and further afield, it's fair to say the pledge took many at Nottingham City Council by surprise. As many may have predicted, January came and went with no reopening date being announced.
Instead, the only major announcements we have had from the council since the castle's closure have been the ever increasing costs associated with it. At the time of Nottingham Castle's closure on November 21, Nottingham City Council said it could be forced to write off debts and loans of £2.68 million. A loan totalling £1.859million was provided to the Nottingham Castle Trust to help enable its initial start up.
The council also said it had outstanding unpaid invoices for services provided to the trust, which came to £821,000. As if that wasn't enough, Nottingham City Council revealed last week how much it has lost in terms of income and fees associated with keeping the castle going.
When Nottingham Castle reopened in 2021 after a £33m revamp, Nottingham City Council handed over responsibility for the venue to the trust. Under this agreement, the trust paid the council a concession agreement which the authority says was used to cover borrowing costs following the castle's revamp.
The council said that for the third quarter of 202223, it lost £293,000 in terms of lost income from this concession agreement. On top of that, the council said it faced £300,000 of costs in the third quarter due to inheriting the "premises holding costs" of the castle, "pending a decision on future operations".
When asked about the current state of the castle, people in Nottingham expressed both frustration, but also questioned how the venue had previously been run. Amanda Wilson, 54, from Gedling, said: "I just think it's such a shame it's closed, but at the end of the day it was too expensive for what it was. The money you spend there could be put to better use, that was what I thought.
"I've lived in Nottingham my whole life, and quite honestly I never saw the need to go more than once, I wasn't even too interested in going after the renovation but maybe that’s just me." Kevin White, 66, from Sherwood, said: "It was frustrating to hear about millions spent on renovation just for it to close.
"I can't even remember the last time I thought about going but I guess for younger people and visitors that's a bit different. There's definitely a sadness about something important to Nottingham closing, but things are changing all the time."
Jack Edwards, 21, a student living in city centre, said: "I've never been since I came here as a student. It was closed when I moved here for renovation, and when it opened again me and my friends did consider going but then it was like over £10 to just go in so we never ended up going."
Some of the comments from this small selection of people highlight the unavoidable truth that Nottingham Castle was not firing on all cylinders before the point of its closure. Scores of staff resigned, there was a bitter racism row and prices had to be reviewed following widespread criticism and low visitor numbers.
That's why Nottingham City Council points out that it has to take its time in considering the future of the castle, to hopefully avoid another calamitous ending for whoever takes on the venue next. A Nottingham Castle Transition Board is currently examining the venue's future.
The board is an internal organisation of the council that is chaired by Cllr Kotsonis, who said the future of the castle is being examined by a "skilled and senior team" with "pace and rigour". The delay may be disappointing, but we wouldn't even be talking about a delay if the unexpected January commitment was never made.
Perhaps the most pertinent point in all of this sorry saga comes from the Improvement and Assurance Board (IAB) that continues to monitor Nottingham City Council. In its most recent report on the authority, the IAB said: "Risk is a basic discipline in all decision-making. Given the recent history of Nottingham it is vital that there is no relaxation in this approach."
People rightly expect Nottingham Castle to be open and attracting thousands of people from around the world, boosting both Nottingham's coffers and image in the process. Judging by the hundreds of comments we get from readers in relation to Nottingham Castle, patience seems to be wearing thin.
But we must be prepared to hold out a little longer, especially if it means avoiding such a public and internationally noticed embarrassment for Nottingham happening again in the future. When the announcement on the castle's future eventually comes, that will be the time to pass judgement on whether it has been worth the wait.
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