HIPPODROME staff face more heartbreak after being told not only will they lose their jobs but they won’t receive ANY redundancy pay-out.

Staff at the beleaguered Ashton venue were issued with a letter from their current employers Live Nation telling them that because they felt they were not responsible for the circumstances giving rise to the redundancies they will not be offering any severance compensation.

In a section entitled redundancies, the letter says: "We believe this to be an issue for the Council as a result of its decision to close the theatre’.

Peter Evans, divisional manager of Live Nation has told the Advertiser that the council hadn’t ‘started, finished or completed the tendering process’ by the end of September, when their contract was due to end. He said Live Nation extended their contract twice to help the authority find a new management company and even offered to extend it indefinitely a third time. He also said the council had rejected applications by other management firms to manage the theatre – Tameside’s only professional theatre.

The council say they did receive expressions of interest into the management of the theatre from other companies but were advised these companies lacked expertise or financial strength.

"We have offered to extend our contract again but the council has not accepted our offer. We are still waiting for the council to respond to us about how we can assist people – the staff."

Mr Evans said the council informed them in January that they were going to close the venue for refurbishments.

Marketing manager, Rita Green said the staff were ‘devastated’.

"We’re upset because we’re being told in one breath we’re entitled to statutory redundancy pay but now it’s as if we are pawns between Live Nation and the council as to who’s going to pay us."

A council spokesman said: "Whilst the council is concerned about the staff, it is important to remember that Live Nation and not the council employ them. Staff are being made redundant by Live Nation not the council. It is notable that Live Nation refused to express interest in the future management of the theatre during the tender process, although at the end of January they did make a belated offer to continue running the theatre on condition that we nearly doubled their index-linked management fee over a 15 year period. Because there is no one who can employ the staff and because there is no one else to run the theatre it may be that the future of the theatre is run much more along voluntary lines.

"The council cannot run the theatre itself. If the theatre reopens then it will be for the new operator to decide what levels of staffing are appropriate. It seems likely that the current staff will be attractive if a new operator needs staff. However, it may be a different type of venue.

"Tameside people have made it clear that they would like the building as a theatre. Clearly the council can only achieve this if it can find a sustainable business model. If we cannot find an operator who can run it is a professional theatre then perhaps there may be a way to run it as a community/voluntary operation. We will consult the public on any different future uses."