PLANS are being drawn up to close Wantage Civic Hall during the mornings to try to stem losses of £215,000 a year.

Morning users of the hall, in Portway, have reacted with dismay to the announcement and fear they will be left without a venue for their activities if opening hours are cut.

The Vale of White Horse District Council, which owns the building, is discussing the plans, along with other possibilities, such as starting up a managing trust.

Lei Zhou, an Age Concern worker who teaches tai chi to about 20 elderly people at the hall on Tuesday mornings, said: “It would be a terrible shame and a real blow to the people who use it at these times. The elderly people I teach don’t want to go out and about during the evenings.

“Tai chi is a very popular activity, which really helps things such as their mobility and balance, and we would probably look for another venue if it closed.”

Rosemary Stickland is a committee member of Wantage Stage Musical.

She said: “I cannot imagine the hall not being open in the mornings.

“When we’re staging shows we need to use it all day beforehand to get the set ready.

“We put on musicals, which involve a lot of set-up, and it’s the only place suitable.

“If these moves go ahead we might have to take our show on the road to village halls.”

The council said the hall was only in use for 26 per cent of the hours it was open last year.

It is open seven days a week, from Monday to Saturday from 8.30am to 10pm, and on Sunday from 9am until 2pm, with the council picking up the bill for reception staff, business rates and utility bills.

District and county councillor for Wantage Jenny Hannaby said: “The problem is no-one is coming along to use the hall and it’s haemorrhaging money.

“If the decision is taken to close it in the mornings then I’m sure the people who use it then will be talked to and an alternative arrangement can be made.”

Wantage Conservative MP Ed Vaizey attacked the council’s proposal.

He said: “The Liberal Democrats on the Vale have let down the people of Wantage. Their financial mismanagement has caused the rundown of a much loved and vital facility.

“I’m going to form a working party of hall users to come together and try to work out a plan to put the Civic Hall back at the centre of community life.”

District council spokesman Gavin Walton said: “We’re currently looking at a wide range of options to make the running of the Civic Hall more efficient, including looking at aligning the opening hours to public use.

“We have so far had preliminary discussions with the hall’s staff and the town council about possible options.

“However, detailed proposals are some way off and would in any case need to be agreed by the executive before any changes were implemented.”

The proposals will be discussed by the council on Wednesday, December 9.