Ref. 20698-43SWINDON Dance must wait until next month to find out whether it will be allowed to gain independence from the council and become a charitable trust.

The nationally-respected studio, based at the Town Hall in Regent Circus, attracts top-flight instructors and offers a broad range of classes and performers to the people of the town.

Charitable trust status would allow it to apply for grant aid and tax relief currently unavailable to it, permitting it to develop and improve. The studio's running costs for the current financial year are £404,180, with £103,243 coming from the council, £199,000 from the Arts Council and the rest from other fundraising.

The council's cabinet decided at a meeting last night to postpone a decision on whether to allow Swindon Dance, the national dance agency for the south west, to begin the process which would culminate in charitable trust status. Council leader Mike Bawden (Con, Old Town and Lawn), called for further reports and briefings, so that all political groups on the authority might fully understand the implications of the move. Coun Kevin Small (Lab, Western), leader of the opposition, agreed with the postponement.

He added: "There are many questions, with very few answers."

The report will detail the potential financial benefits for Swindon Dance of charitable status, as well as explaining Swindon Council's role in the future of the Town Hall Studios as an independent body.

Council officers say that the authority can protect its own services such as classes associated with Swindon Dance by entering into contractual agreements with it. The new report will go before the cabinet at its meeting on April 7.