Express & Star comment: Wolverhampton Civic must deliver on big investment
Anyone who has grown up in and around the Black Country will find it hard to imagine this region without its premier entertainment venue – Wolverhampton Civic Hall.
The 80-year-old city centre building holds special memories for rock, pop and comedy fans.
It has a deserved reputation across the country as a great live music venue.
It has been a source of great disappointment to have been without the Civic and Wulfrun halls for so long now and it looks like it will not be until 2021 it will finally be back in action.
The cost of its restoration has now escalated to more than £38 million, but it makes sense to go ahead with getting it back open in spite of that.
The challenge for Wolverhampton council will be to make sure the Civic pays back on the high spending. Key to that will be widening the scope of the events it stages.
Final judgement may be reserved for up to a decade when it will be clear whether the venue is genuinely making money and paying back on the investment.
