The council plans to tender the running of Aylesbury Waterside Theatre before ATG's contract ends in February 2028, and to stop paying the operator a fee.
Buckinghamshire Council plans to put the running of Aylesbury Waterside Theatre out to tender. The contract held by Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG) since the theatre opened in 2010 ends in February 2028.
The council’s Leader is due to approve the plan on Wednesday 14 October. Under it, the next operator would get no management fee from the council. ATG is paid one now, though the council says it has been shrinking.
The council owns the 1,200-seat theatre. Its report for the decision says contract reviews show ATG “has provided the Council with an excellent service”. Nothing in the report stops ATG bidding again.
What the council wants to do
The Waterside would be tendered alongside the Wycombe Swan in High Wycombe, whose contract with Trafalgar Entertainment ends in March 2029. Operators could bid in three ways:
- Lot 1: Aylesbury Waterside Theatre alone
- Lot 2: Wycombe Swan alone
- Lot 3: both theatres together
Each theatre would keep its own contract and its own requirements, even if one company wins both.
The model the council has chosen is an operating agreement with a lease. The operator runs the theatre with no fee from the council. The council keeps some say over the programme, community access, and work with schools. It also keeps the right to step in or end the contract if the operator fails.
The council turned down two other options:
- A straight lease of 25 to 30 years, which would hand over most of the risk but leave the council little control over how the theatre is used.
- A management agreement, which would give the council most control but leave it covering any operating losses. The report says this is “not seen as a viable option” given the council’s finances.
Letting the contracts lapse was also considered. The report says that would leave the council able to consider disposing of the theatres, but rejects it because the towns’ evening economy “would suffer”.
Is anyone interested?
The council says yes. Six experienced operators were sounded out about the Waterside. In a further round in August 2026, all four companies that responded were interested in both theatres and supported the principle of running them with no subsidy.
Their main worry was the buildings. Operators said they would accept a 15-year lease in principle. If they also had to take on the repair bills, they wanted 25 years or more.
The buildings
Condition surveys carried out in 2025 found work needed at both theatres:
- about £770,000 of work at the Wycombe Swan over the next three years
- around £4.5 million of replacement costs across both theatres over 20 years
The report gives no separate near-term figure for the Waterside. It says more survey work is needed before bidders are given the numbers.
The council’s own maintenance money for the theatres is likely to run out within one to two years, on current surveys. After that it would have to draw on its corporate capital budget. The report accepts that the council will keep some liability for the buildings whatever happens. How much will be settled in negotiation.
What it saves
The council already expects some savings from the theatres. The new approach adds to them from 2028, according to the report:
| Financial year | Existing plan | Proposed |
|---|---|---|
| 2027/28 | £37,000 | £37,000 |
| 2028/29 | £75,000 | £90,000 |
| 2029/30 | £75,000 | £151,000 |
The detailed finances, including what ATG is paid now, are in a confidential appendix that has not been published.
What happens next
- Monday 12 October, 5pm: deadline for views to reach the decision-maker, by email to democracy@buckinghamshire.gov.uk.
- Wednesday 14 October: the decision, taken by the Leader. It can be called in.
- Then: a business case for the procurement, a working group across the council, and a review of which building repairs to fund before the tender.
- Later: a further report goes to Cabinet to award the contract.
What it means for you
- Nothing changes on stage yet. ATG’s contract runs to the end of February 2028. Shows already on sale, including this winter’s Waterside panto, fall well inside the current contract.
- The operator could change in 2028. The tender is open, and a company that wins both Aylesbury and High Wycombe could run them together.
- The council wants a say in what is on. It plans to set targets for a varied programme, community use and schools work, and to check them through regular reviews.
- Building repairs are the open question. Who pays for them will shape how long the next lease runs and how much control the operator has.
The Waterside’s studio, the Norman Bragg, seats 182 or holds more than 250 standing. The report says it is used mainly for smaller local shows, National Theatre screenings and community events. For more on what is on in town, see things to do in Aylesbury.
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