Facing some tough decisions (From The Northern Echo)

Facing some tough decisions

11:55am Wednesday 1st February 2012 in Leader

Darlington Borough Council’s decision to axe the town’s award-winning Arts Centre has provoked a backlash. However, arts facilities across the country are in the firing line as authorities struggle to balance the books. Nick Wallis, Darlington’s cabinet member for leisure, explains why the council has no choice.

SOMETIMES it’s easy being a councillor – being part of a great community can be one of the most rewarding things in life. Sometimes, it’s not so great.

Take, for instance, some of the decisions we will face in the coming months. As a council, we have to reduce our annual spending bill by £22m by 2015 because of Government spending cuts. The decisions I as a councillor and my colleagues will have to make will be difficult and emotive. And there’s no rescue package.

As an organisation, we provide a backdrop for nearly every aspect of community life, from services for the most vulnerable in our society to maintaining much of the environment that you see every day. We don’t want a reward or a pat on the back for this; it’s what we’re here to do. But the substantial reduction in Government grant will have a direct impact on the majority of these services. And it is for us, as a community, to shape what this impact will be.

That is why I have read with interest the many letters and an item by Nick Brewster, the chairman of Darlington for Culture, on the future of Darlington Arts Centre.

I believe the arts make a huge contribution to Darlington and how it feels as a town in which to live and work.

It would be a much poorer place without the many commercial artists, businesses, creative arts groups and organisations that are located in Darlington.

Not only do they provide a chance for entertainment and celebration, but also important social networks, opportunities for physical exercise and expression, as well as an outlet for individuals to create and express themselves, which can help to alleviate mental distress and keep depression at bay. The arts also play an important part in the local economy.

So why are we proposing to close and sell the arts centre?

The arts centre has been funded by the council since 1978; in 2001, the building was given into our ownership. Since then, we have continued to invest in the building and the range of activities it provides – always balancing the needs of the wider community with the desire to encourage and support the arts. The staff have done a fantastic job and should be congratulated on the lively, welcoming place we know today.

HOWEVER, we now have much less money and the costs to maintain the arts centre building continue to rise.

And regrettably, every service is facing potential reductions, including services which support vulnerable old and young people, carers, parks and public places, libraries, roads and highways. We have to make a balanced decision about where these cuts will fall.

In relation to the arts centre, because tenants are moving out and other funding sources will end, we will have to spend a minimum of more than £500,000 just to maintain the building.

Experts in rental and office space state that without significant investment, we are unlikely to receive any reasonable level of income.

The council has worked extensively with different groups, including Darlington for Culture, to explore if it is feasible for them to take over the running of the building.

Unfortunately, the figures do not stack up unless we continue to provide substantial funding.

And so we have to ask the question as to whether we can justify investing this money in the building alongside the funding we will also provide to maintain the Civic Theatre and other cultural venues, events and grants for community groups. On balance, and while tremendously sad, the closure and sale of the arts centre may be one of the difficult decisions we make. However, it will not be the end of the story.

We are lucky in that we have a range of other different options which will help to ensure Darlington remains a place where the arts are at home with new spaces to thrive.

There is a substantial funding bid being considered by the Arts Council that, if successful, will help to fund a new centre for the arts – a modern building purpose-built with lower running costs.

We will also be inviting developers to express an interest in building a new multiplex cinema and other leisure facilities.

WE are shortly expecting an announcement about the Creative Darlington Partnership which will bring together individuals and businesses to support the arts across the borough.

We are also committed to continuing to support the Civic Theatre and the many events and groups that support arts in the borough while working with the groups that are currently housed in the arts centre to help them find alternative accommodation.

It would be quite wrong of me to deny anyone their huge affection for the building and sense of loss if the closure of the arts centre goes ahead.

But this is a difficult chapter across all public services in Darlington and one we are determined to manage well on your behalf.