Council seeks new firms days after closing cafes

2 hours ago

Evie LakeNorth East and Cumbria

News image — Newcastle City Council announced the cafe closures last week

LDRS The cafe in Paddy Freeman's Park, Newcastle. It is a small, red brick unit, with dark green shutters. Above one of the shutters, at the end of the building, there is white signage that contains a duck and the words The Park Cafe @ Paddy Freeman's. There is a wooden picnic bench out front and some leafless trees in the background. — Newcastle City Council announced the cafe closures last week

A council is looking for independent firms to take over two park cafes just days after announcing their closures.

Newcastle City Council said it was shutting the outlets at Paddy Freeman's Park and Exhibition Park due to falling demand and increasing running costs.

The council had previously said the cafes were costing £200,000 to run which was taking money away from maintaining the parks.

Now the local authority is actively looking for local businesses to bring the cafes back into use.

The Paddy Freeman's site was shut with immediate effect on 27 January and staff were transferred to the Exhibition Park cafe which will close in the coming weeks.

In a statement, the council said it had already had expressions of interest since the closures were announced.

Management of the cafes returned to the authority last year after it took back control of the parks from charity Urban Green.

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