So now we know. The Lib Dem plan B for the Kingston Theatre – after the collapse of their year long negotiations with an Iraqi Billionaire – is to sink twice the amount of money into the theatre than they had before. They have apparently decided tobung the theatre the extra £3m they need. One presumes this is borrowed money and therefore it means that we, the Council Tax payer, will now be paying £42,000 per week in interest alone. If we have £6,000,000 sloshing around to pay for this should we not be having a debate about where it is spent. After all, the popular vote in
- The decrepit school buildingsthat so many of our primary schools have?
- The environment, which was supposed to be at the heart of everything the Lib Dems do – and yet they employ a schools meals contractor some 200 miles away who is going to drive a lorry every day to Kingston! Why are they not spending this type of money to
provide a real change to recycling so we stop being one of the worst
improving Borough’s in the country? - The elderly and disable paying more charges because of the Lib Dem attacks on them?
- The resident on low income who now has to pay the highest Council tax in
cost.
12 comments:
Kia Ora (Hello) from a blogger down under in New Zealand. We have the same old, same old story in NZ. The "city council" wants to spend millions they don't have!!!
The problem with a theatre paid for by the local taxpayer is it shows there isn't enough passion for the idea itself. If there was, £3m would be an easy sum to raise.
As it is, despite my previous comments about it being a great potential theatre, I fear that it will become like many regional theatres - crap, and putting on crap.
It is just beggars belief that the Lib Dems will spend £6 million overall on the theatre when so many other things need capital investment. The chronic lack of youth facilities in Kingston is beyond a joke, yet the Lib Dems and the Youth Service do nothing about it. Graffiti is so bad and the budget so low I have been asked to form a team of volunteers to start cleaning graffiti in New Malden for no pay.
Why can't they get money from local business's? I am sure the likes of John Lewis and M and S would invest money in return for advertising.
The Cambridge Estate is falling apart and seriously needs capital investment yet the Lib Dems spent £6 million on a theatre. I am speechless to be honest.
If the theatre is so bad why dont you resign as a trustee Kevin?
Are you just after free tickets?
I'm not a trustee.
Its begins with a 't' though!
You aint seen nothing yet,wait for the overspend on fitting out,costumes,salaries for the quangos to run it all,pension contributions for the extra council staff required to administer the "loan"(bung).
I could go on but I am so appalled at this waste of public money on a Theatre that will have to compete with the dozens of others already suffering and with consumer spending about to plunge with higher interest rates.......etc.
rgds shell shocked mojoman
'Sir Peter Hall ... wowed the Lib Dems.'
Why am I not surprised? They are such suckers for a piece of flattery. They are so desperate to be remembered for setting up the Theatre ... why not settle for looking after the vulnerable of our community and sorting out the Boroughs roads and schools? They may not be remembered for it down the years but its a hell of lot more worthwhile than setting up a donkey of a Theatre.
Shock horror, they are making this decision just after an election - an election where they never mentioned the Theatre in any of their Focus leaflets.
What does that tell us? They know most people are against them doing this and they're hoping that four years until the next elections will be enough time for people to forget what a thorough mess they have made of things.
If your story is correct then it is clearly a disgrace and the decision must be fought in every way possible as this loan will never be paid back. Not a chance with such a limited artistic policy.Would we subsidise Kingstonian Football Club - I doubt it. All of us already rightly subsidise the arts in many ways. Through our TV licence for example with the BBC orchestras, through income tax with direct grants and through Council Tax with local grants of a small nature. Also through the national lottery. But this is different - as it is throwing money away. The whole original project has been hijacked by a bunch of elitists wanting subsidy for no useful purpose to our Borough and the lack of financial support from elsewhere demonstrates this.
You should immediately call a Full Council meeting and force a vote on a motion opposing any more council taxpayers money being wasted on the Theatre - and also a petition should be started on a cross party basis to oppose this move.
There are other forms of direct action which could be considered if these things fail.
I hope that your story turns out to be load of nonsense.
Kingston Informer page 7. Osbourne says: "We may have to borrow to put some money upfront."
I am afraid that the Council constitution is not what it used to be. We tried calling Full Council meetings a year ago but to no avail. At least ths time we have changed it slightly so I will try and speak to coleagues about this. I agree with you about the cross party petition because only the barking mad Lib Dems believe this is sensible.
Hey Kevin,
What is it with the Lib Dems and this theatre? Surely it was a doomed idea from the beginning, and instead of abandoning the idea at the first sign of trouble, they continue to plough (our!) money into it when, as you rightly point out, it can be used to better effect elsewhere! First hand I have seen the Anti-Social Behaviour inflicted upon the local residents, and the police are next to useless. I can see how a theatre could make Kingston a more 'cultural' place, but how about we try and inject some culture into the young people in Kingston via a better library/social enviroments! I hate to say it but it seems that the Lib Dems are more than happy to ignore this so-called 'chav culture' we have in Kingston.
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