Over 600 pledges worth more than £117,000 beat the £100,000 target to help Sevenoaks Town Council buy the Stag's £650,000 freehold. What happens next.
Sevenoaks has pledged more than enough to help the town council buy the Stag. Over 600 pledges made in the past month add up to more than £117,000, against the £100,000 the town council asked the community to find towards the theatre and cinema’s freehold. (Sevenoaks Town Council, 1 October 2026)
The appeal opened on 2 September with pledge forms due back today, 1 October. So the target has been cleared with £17,000 to spare on the closing day.
The money is not in the bank yet. These are promises, not payments, and the town council says it will “shortly contact everyone who has pledged their support to invite them to fulfil their donation”. Its own wording is careful: with £117,000 pledged, “it is therefore hoped that the £100,000 donation target will be achieved”.
What the Mayor said
The Mayor of Sevenoaks, Cllr Victoria Granville, thanked the people who pledged:
“Many thanks to the hundreds of people who have pledged their support for Sevenoaks Town Council’s plans to purchase the freehold of the Stag. Your support is a tremendous vote of confidence in the Stag and its important contribution to our local community. It is particularly fitting that this support comes during this civic year, when we are focusing on ‘Celebrating Culture in Sevenoaks’.”
The town council called the response “extraordinary generosity from individuals and organisations in our community”, and says every donation “will help protect the Stag as an important cultural asset in Sevenoaks and ensure it remains a thriving community venue for generations to come”.
How the £650,000 adds up
The town council leases the Stag at present and wants to buy the freehold from Sevenoaks District Council, which has set the price at £650,000. The plan combines three sources (Sevenoaks Town Council, 1 October 2026):
- £350,000 from a Public Works Loan
- £200,000 from the town council’s capital reserves
- £100,000 from community donations, the target the pledges have now passed
As we reported when the appeal opened, the town council plans to repay the loan by redirecting the Stag’s £27,000 annual grant rather than raising its share of council tax. (Sevenoaks Town Council, 2 September 2026)
Why the town council wants the freehold
It says owning the building “will offer permanent security, remove exposure to future landlord decisions and provide the confidence needed to attract major, long-term investment to upgrade the venue and for the wider town”. The Stag is also home to House in the Basement youth café.
The two councils still disagree on whether the district council should charge at all. The background is in our earlier reporting: the June offer, the Cabinet decision, the town council’s decision to drop legal action and the launch of the appeal.
What it means for you
If you pledged, expect the town council to contact you soon asking you to turn the pledge into a donation. The appeal only works if the pledges are paid: the £100,000 is a fixed part of the purchase price, and the margin above it is about £17,000.
If you did not pledge and want to help, the council has not said whether it is still taking new pledges now the target is met. Its Community Engagement team is on 01732 459953 or communityeng@sevenoakstown.gov.uk.
The town council has not given a date for completing the purchase. We will report it when it does.
Sources
Have your say