Westcliff's flagship Palace Theatre is disappointed at being "completely overlooked" in the latest round of Government cash handouts.

Around £25 million of Government money is to be ploughed into theatres across Britain.

The Palace has received a share of just £115,000 of that money - but indirectly, and through a theatre consortium headed up by the Theatre Royal at Bury St Edmunds.

East England Arts - one of ten regional arts boards dividing up the cash - heralded the money as a chance for "major touring productions" because the consortium will be able to block-book big productions - a move individual theatres cannot afford to do.

However, bosses at the Palace on Friday cast doubt on how the money would be of any benefit at all.

Julius Green, managing director of Green and Lenagan which manages the Palace Theatre, said: "The Palace Theatre has not benefited from the current distribution of funds and the East England Arts Strategy completely overlooked the fact there is a major production theatre in Westcliff.

"We are in ongoing talks with the East England Arts to rectify this situation and look forward to a positive outcome soon."

But Jane Moss, communications team leader at East England Arts, said: "Theatres like the Palace are not getting direct investment from this round of money because they are run by commercial management.

"However, they will benefit in other ways. We are investing in a regional consortium of middle-scale touring venues, which take tours from other theatre programmes as part of their programmes."

Theatres within the consortium include the Palace, the Civic Theatre in Chelmsford, the Harlow Playhouse, the Norwich Playhouse, the Marina in Lowestoft and theatres in Peterborough.

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