The City of Ely Council has agreed to take on responsibility for running The Maltings as part of a raft of responsibilities being transferred from East Cambridgeshire District Council.

The Maltings will be leased to the City of Ely Council by the district on a 99 year lease, for a peppercorn rent.

Tapas restaurant operator, La Raza, has signed a lease for the restaurant portion and their lease will be re-assigned to the City of Ely Council.

The city council has also accepted the responsibility for any future grant funding to ADeC, Ely Museum and the Shopmobility Scheme, operated by Ely Museum.

The agreement between the two authorities is designed to ensure the future of cultural activities in East Cambridgeshire, with many services understood to be facing the axe as the district council continues to seek cost savings.

Councillor James Palmer, leader of East Cambridgeshire District Council, said: “We have worked incredibly hard with the City of Ely Council to come up with a way to protect the cultural heritage of Ely.

“We believe the solution we have developed meets the needs of everyone involved. In these difficult financial times, we feel this transfer is the ideal outcome not only for the organisations involved but most importantly for our residents.”

Councillor Elaine Griffin-Singh, the mayor of Ely said: “It has been a long-term aspiration of many of the city councillors to bring The Maltings into the safe hands of the city council.

“I am delighted to have been able to work with the district council to bring about this transfer and also safe-guard the futures of Ely Museum and ADeC.”