The UK may be seeing 'green shoots' in some parts of the economy, but it seems that recreational areas such as bingo are not included.
A wave of bingo hall closures have been announced, including the Gala bingo hall in Aldridge. The club is one of five that Gala are considering closure of. If the Aldridge club closes, then 300 jobs would be lost.
Bingo halls have suffered a lot in recent months, thanks to a ban on smoking in public places, and the rise in taxation of bingo. Several clubs around the UK have already closed, and more closures are expected. One club already closed down is the Mecca Bingo in Wolverhampton. Others at risk include those in Hull, Glasgow, Essex, and Fife.
The Aldridge club is housed in a former cinema building, which was built in the 1930s. The building is considered to be a fine example of 'Moderne' style architecture, with cream and green horizontal stripes.
Aldridge councillor Tom Ansell said “We will certainly want to keep [… the building...] in use. So if Gala is leaving, hopefully somebody else will move in there. It seems nobody's safe. This is really a body blow for Aldridge.”
Email this page
Print this page
Bookmark with del.icio.us
