THE big screen at Wharf Green is to be run by a private company in an attempt to generate income for the town.

Having accepted it lacks the necessary expertise, the council is to sign a contract with b-focused, which runs screens in Bristol, Plymouth and Portsmouth.

It is hoped that this company will be able to use both the screen and the surrounding area to put on events, working with other commercial enterprises.

The council will retain 70 per cent of any income generated, while b-focused will keep the rest.

Initially the screen, and therefore to a large extent the content, was operated by the BBC. But in 2013 the BBC pulled out due to funding reasons.

The council decided to independently run the screen on a six-month trial basis to work out what it needs to help it generate income and promote local events.

During that time the costs have been assessed and a schedule to get advertising revenue has been developed. A plan to get rid of the screen was considered but it was decided this would be a backwards step that could cost in excess of £100,000.

A report on the big screen said: “‘b-focused’ is a sports marketing and project management agency who worked exclusively with the BBC Big Screens during the Olympics.

“It has continued to work in partnership with a number of big screens throughout the UK.

“As a commercial provider it is able, through its networks, experience and expertise, to develop and sell packages to support major national and international events using the collective power of the screen network.

“By entering into a memorandum of understanding with “b-focused” and keeping it running in house, we can significantly improve the content played out, making it a ‘community screen’.

“The council can generate sponsorship and commercial revenue. The screen would also have the ability to show big national events including Wimbledon and the Commonwealth Games as well as continue its arrangements with companies like the Royal Opera House to screen exclusive events.”

Not everyone is in favour of the screen and some have questioned whether people even want it, given that key football matches are not shown, often on police advice.

Councillor Bob Wright (Lab, Central) said: “I don’t think there ever was a demand for a big screen.

“This was part of regeneration and was meant to be a draw and it has had limited benefits. When public demand was there for football events the matches were not available.

“Local residents have complained about the noise from the screen use. Alternative better big screens now exist in local venues.

“Seeking commercial gain when it is not a council core activity just means we are being diverted from the more pressing issue of why the regeneration has had limited success at Wharf Green. A big screen has not been a big attraction and has been relatively expensive.”