Town council makes its bid for arts centre funding
Wednesday, 8th December 2010.
St Edmundsbury Council is to be asked to guarantee funding at least the costs of maintaining the Haverhill Arts Centre building for the ten years after 2012.
The current grant funding agreement with Haverhill Town Council, which runs the building, comes to an end after the next financial year.
The town council were hoping to negotiate with St Edmundsbury about further funding, but have been asked to submit a bid instead, and at last night's meeting they discussed where to pitch it.
The current funding level, which has been on a decreasing agreement since the town council took the building over from the borough seven years ago, is at £208,000.
Members were told by town clerk Gordon Mussett that if the borough had kept the building, ceased its use as an Arts Centre and turned it into a community hall, it would now be costing £122,000 a year to maintain.
He suggested the town council bid for that level of grant, secured for ten years. The town council would then make up the difference, partly from sources they had built up in case of just such a situation, and partly from a £2.70 band D council tax rise in 2012 - about 18p a week for most Haverhill homes.
But members felt St Edmundsbury should be asked to put money into actual arts provision in the centre as well, in the light of the amount of money the borough was spending on the new Apex centre in Bury St Edmunds.
Mr Mussett said the fact that the Apex had so far turned into 'a money-pit' would mean there was less money for other arts provision in the borough, as arts and leisure was a non-statutory service.
He said the borough would argue they were building up a major arts provision in Bury, which was intended to cover the needs of the whole borough.
But Cllr Maureen Byrne said they should ask for a further £50,000, while Cllr Clive Turner said the £122,000 bid should be index-linked over the ten years.
Mr Mussett said they could ask for an extra £50,000 as an arts grant, separately from the core funding bid, and this was agreed.
The current grant funding agreement with Haverhill Town Council, which runs the building, comes to an end after the next financial year.
The town council were hoping to negotiate with St Edmundsbury about further funding, but have been asked to submit a bid instead, and at last night's meeting they discussed where to pitch it.
The current funding level, which has been on a decreasing agreement since the town council took the building over from the borough seven years ago, is at £208,000.
Members were told by town clerk Gordon Mussett that if the borough had kept the building, ceased its use as an Arts Centre and turned it into a community hall, it would now be costing £122,000 a year to maintain.
He suggested the town council bid for that level of grant, secured for ten years. The town council would then make up the difference, partly from sources they had built up in case of just such a situation, and partly from a £2.70 band D council tax rise in 2012 - about 18p a week for most Haverhill homes.
But members felt St Edmundsbury should be asked to put money into actual arts provision in the centre as well, in the light of the amount of money the borough was spending on the new Apex centre in Bury St Edmunds.
Mr Mussett said the fact that the Apex had so far turned into 'a money-pit' would mean there was less money for other arts provision in the borough, as arts and leisure was a non-statutory service.
He said the borough would argue they were building up a major arts provision in Bury, which was intended to cover the needs of the whole borough.
But Cllr Maureen Byrne said they should ask for a further £50,000, while Cllr Clive Turner said the £122,000 bid should be index-linked over the ten years.
Mr Mussett said they could ask for an extra £50,000 as an arts grant, separately from the core funding bid, and this was agreed.
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