The Good

It is a while since my last update on the Tower so it is refreshing to report some good news. The Autumn programme is now out and you can see what’s on by clicking on the link on the left.....

Well done to Ben Ward and Kings’ School for putting this on. The programme looks interesting and quite wide ranging and I look forward to attending as many shows as I can. In future seasons, I hope Ben can also put on some of the popular folk music that made the Tower such a unique venue. This will ensure an even wider programme that compliments the programming at the the Vaults and the Railway Inn.

I can also report some other good news. The County owned Ashcroft Arts Centre in Fareham has been saved after Gosport Borough Council threatened to withdraw its funding to the local Discovery Centre. If only our city council had the same courage to take on their political allies at the County!

The Bad


On a more depressing note - the Tower has yet again been let down by the County Council, this time with the connivance of Winchester City Council. In a decision made two weeks - they have broken a number of commitments that they made in December when the decision to transfer the Tower to the school was made.

At the time the County Council press statement stated that

"The Council is committing £75,000 over the next three year to develop a mixed
evening programme of performing arts at the Tower and other venues across the
City. This will be matched by Winchester City Council.”

County Council leader Ken Thornber added

“The resources we have committed, together with the City Council, will ensure
the continuation of an evening programme focussing initially on the Tower.”

Reasonable people interpreted this to mean £50,000 p.a. funding for three years for mixed evening programming, initially focussed at the Tower. A significant shortfall on previous funding, but at least some recognition of the public outcry.

The deal agreed last week means that the County Council, aided and abetted by the City Council has broken commitments on three grounds(for details of the decision see http://www.winchester.gov.uk/Documents/Committees/Cabinet/1600_1699/CAB1685.pdf,)

1. Both local authorities committed to dialogue with existing Tower users on the development of the evening programme. This has not occurred, the deal has now been approved and the Autumn programme at the Tower has now been released.
2. The deal falls significantly short of the £50,000 p.a. commitment to a mixed evening programme. In fact, it only guarantees £15,000 to evening programming and this will be at the Discovery Centre. A further £15,000 has been committed to the Tower for 2008/9 to fund “public events” and (bizarrely) the promotion and subsidy to Kings’ School of the participatory classes. I say bizarrely because the participatory classes have nothing to do with the evening programmes and it should not need subsidising (it made annual profits in excess of £20,000 p.a. under the previous management!)
3. Less than 50% of the £50,000 funding will go to the Tower – contradicting Councillor Thornber’s commitment of an initial focus at the Tower.


and The Ugly......
I personally feel let down and misled by both local authorities. I find City Council leader Cllr George Beckett’s reported comment on the decision that this is a “good news story” (Chronicle on 10th July) particularly offensive.