COUNCILLORS claim splashing out £13,000 on a new bar counter for Basildon’s Towngate Theatre wil prove to be “money well spent”.

The latest stage of the £1million revamp of the theatre, in St Martin’s Square, will see a new upstairs function room created, suitable for conferences, parties, fine dining and comedy performances.

Named after Shakespearian actor John Gielgud, Basildon Council hope the Gielgud Room will become an important income generator.

Basildon-based building firm Abalone was contracted to construct and install the bar counter, after council bosses were impressed by its work on the downstairs box office reception desk.

They decided not to put the project out to tender, as they wanted to ensure the Gielgud Room’s style matched the rest of the new-look theatre.

The process also requires a detailed specification to be written down, which could take weeks to complete and delay the opening.

Kevin Blake, Basildon councillor responsible for leisure and arts, said: “If we want quality we have to pay for it.

“The revamp is going to cost £1.1million overall, so we don’t want to scrimp and save on a bar.

“We want people to walk into the room and think it looks lovely and go on to hire it out for their own functions.

“If I didn’t think it would be an investment and benefit the people of the borough I wouldn’t have pushed for it. I’m not going to throw taxpayers’ money away.

“The new Gielgud Room really just ties up what we were aiming to do at the Towngate.”

Phil Rackley, Independent Labour group leader, added: “We would have expected the work to go out to tender, which is the usual procedure.

“I’m pleased the Towngate has been having a great deal of success and if this work helps then it’s money well spent. The downstairs bar area is really pleasant and we’d like to see that continue throughout.”

The room, which is due to open next month, is fully soundproofed so functions can take place at the same time as theatre productions.

Ticket sales at the Towngate have been on the up since improvements to the ground floor foyer and bar area were completed last year.

Graham Sandford, Towngate Theatre manager, said: “We are all delighted the Gielgud Room is nearing completion and significant investments are being made in this great venue.

“The Towngate Theatre houses a range of facilities all under one roof such as the restaurant and bar, the theatre itself, the Mirren Studio and rooms for hire like the Gielgud, which will most definitely benefit the wider community and local firms who come to visit or hire our facilities.

We look forward to hosting many events in this new room.”