THE acting leader of Malvern Hills District Council, Coun Paul Cumming, reiterated the council's keen awareness of the central role the theatres play in Malvern.

"We endorse completely the views of the importance of the theatres in Malvern and its community involvement," he said.

"Clearly it plays a key role in the town. We, as the council, want to see the theatres better not worse but we have to take account of other realms of life."

He said the council had been faced with the overspend from the theatre's 1997 refurbishment and when it had shown a profit of £25,000 in 2001, after two years of losses, they had felt it was not their duty to pay off the overspend and reduced the subsidies.

He also said that a document highlighting the full facts of the theatre's current situation would be made available to members of the public next month.

"Everyone will have the chance of seeing what we are really talking about and be able to make their own judgement," he said, "It will be discussed in full council at the end of that. We have not got the details to make a decision yet and most of the council have a very open mind."