Letters sent out in support of arts bid
By Jo Deeks on Thursday, 16th November 2000.
Haverhill Town Council has written to every member of St Edmundsbury Council's Leisure Committee this week asking them to accept its offer to run the town's Arts Centre.
At its meeting, which was to be held yesterday, the committee was expected to opt for retaining responsibility for managing the Centre and to reject the Town Council's offer to run it.
This would involve cutting back on cinema and theatre shows to try and bring in more cash through private lettings.
The letter from Haverhill Town Council was drawn up at an emergency meeting last week of its Leisure Committee.
The Town Council had offered to run the Centre with a £202,000-a-year grant from St Edmundsbury, saving around £11,000. But a report to councillors suggests greater savings of £65,000 can be made by reducing arts-based events.
The letter to councillors stresses that the Town Council's offer is cash-limited, so that the Borough would not be liable for expenditure over that figure.
It points out that, under St Edmundsbury management, the Centre has cost £157,187 over its agreed revised budgets over the past four years.
The grant requested is less than the £144,150 given for the Bury festival and £88,400 given for the Theatre Royal combined.
Town Clerk, Gordon Mussett, said the Town Council plan would retain all staff and continue the arts-based programming.
"We have a proven track record of staging a wide range of events there which have been sold out or very nearly so. We have also attracted over £100,000 in outside funding."
"We are confident that we can run it successfully within that budget and can make savings by better marketing of events and targeting audiences. The papers show savings of £65,000 from new posts which have never been appointed so we cannot see how that will actually save money," Mr Mussett said.
The letter recognises the borough council's financial difficulties - with a predicted Leisure Services overspend of more than £400,000 on current estimates - but says this emphasises the need for new centre managment."
At its meeting, which was to be held yesterday, the committee was expected to opt for retaining responsibility for managing the Centre and to reject the Town Council's offer to run it.
This would involve cutting back on cinema and theatre shows to try and bring in more cash through private lettings.
The letter from Haverhill Town Council was drawn up at an emergency meeting last week of its Leisure Committee.
The Town Council had offered to run the Centre with a £202,000-a-year grant from St Edmundsbury, saving around £11,000. But a report to councillors suggests greater savings of £65,000 can be made by reducing arts-based events.
The letter to councillors stresses that the Town Council's offer is cash-limited, so that the Borough would not be liable for expenditure over that figure.
It points out that, under St Edmundsbury management, the Centre has cost £157,187 over its agreed revised budgets over the past four years.
The grant requested is less than the £144,150 given for the Bury festival and £88,400 given for the Theatre Royal combined.
Town Clerk, Gordon Mussett, said the Town Council plan would retain all staff and continue the arts-based programming.
"We have a proven track record of staging a wide range of events there which have been sold out or very nearly so. We have also attracted over £100,000 in outside funding."
"We are confident that we can run it successfully within that budget and can make savings by better marketing of events and targeting audiences. The papers show savings of £65,000 from new posts which have never been appointed so we cannot see how that will actually save money," Mr Mussett said.
The letter recognises the borough council's financial difficulties - with a predicted Leisure Services overspend of more than £400,000 on current estimates - but says this emphasises the need for new centre managment."
Web Link: http://www.haverhill-uk.com/towncouncil
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