Save the Stag latest: stop the £650,000 tax on Sevenoaks town residents

The Conservatives running Sevenoaks District Council (SDC) want to charge £650,000 to transfer the Stag Theatre to local hands — even though more than 7,500 people have signed a petition demanding it happens for free.

That’s £650,000 for something residents already own.

The Stag is one of the most loved venues in Sevenoaks. But the Town Council runs it on a short-term lease from SDC — which means no bank will lend against it and most grant bodies won’t fund it. 

Sevenoaks District Council is being abolished. When it goes, the Stag automatically passes to a new, larger West Kent council with no particular commitment to any single venue – unless a deal is done.

Transferring the freehold  will guarantee The Stag’s future. It will get the investment it needs. And it stays in local hands

Instead, the Conservatives want to charge local taxpayers the £650,000.

Add your name to the petition. Tell the Conservatives: the Stag belongs to Sevenoaks — and it shouldn't cost us a penny to keep it.

Cllr Alan Leaman, Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group on the District Council, said:

"The Conservatives are now proposing a new £650,000 tax on the residents of Sevenoaks, to pay for an asset that the public already own. This is nonsensical.

"Transfer is necessary to secure the Stag’s long-term future for the community and to enable the Town Council to secure the investments needed to enhance and develop its facilities.

"Up and down the country, other Councils are not demanding a new payment for similar transfers. This should be a transfer, not a sale.

"It is clear to me that a transfer at no cost can be done within the law, since the Council can demonstrate significant economic, social and environmental benefits.

“More than 7,500 people have signed the Town Council’s petition supporting transfer of the Stag at no extra cost. They are right.”