- Target:
- Greenwich Council
- Region:
- United Kingdom
We would like to thank everyone who signed the petition and supported our campaign against Greenwich Council's proposal to cut its annual grant to Blackheath Halls.
Blackheath Halls appealed against the proposed withdrawal of the annual grant by making submissions to the Council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting on 21 February 2011. Members of the Halls' community chorus and orchestra staged an open air rehearsal and the Halls’ campaign was also widely publicised in the local press.
Both online and paper versions of the petition containing a total of 2061 signatures were submitted to Greenwich Council on 2 March 2011.
Unfortunately, Greenwich Council has now confirmed its decision to withdraw the entire annual grant of £71,352 as of 1 April 2011.
However, in response to the representations made to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, the Halls has learned that the Cabinet has agreed to create a general budget of £42,000 to support the delivery of community based arts participatory projects across the borough.
Blackheath Halls hopes that it will be able to obtain some funding from this £42,000 allocation in order to continue the delivery of some of its community and education programme, although this will obviously be a much-reduced sum in comparison to the annual grant that has been provided to the Halls in the past.
In response to the Blackheath Halls’ petition, the Council’s Director of Culture and Community Services acknowledged that the end to their current funding agreement with the Halls “will impact on the service delivered by Blackheath Halls” and stressed that the Council was “keen to ensure that Blackheath Halls continues to play an active part in the cultural life of the borough”. The Council’s response to the petition is due to be considered at a Council meeting on Wednesday 30 March 2011 at 7pm, which members of the public are welcome to attend.
How you can help
- Come to our events and take part in our workshops and programmes (email H.Benton@Trinitylaban.ac.uk to join our mailing list);
- Become a regular donor (please contact Helma Zebregs at H.Zebregs@Trinitylaban.ac.uk for more information);
- Attend the Council meeting on 30 March (please contact david.white@greenwich.gov.uk if you wish to speak at the meeting).
If you would like to support the Halls in any other way, such as through support-in-kind or volunteering, we would also be very happy to hear from you (please contact Helma Zebregs at H.Zebregs@Trinitylaban.ac.uk)
Thank you once again for your support. We look forward to seeing you at the Halls in the near future.
Greenwich Council is currently proposing to withdraw the whole of the Blackheath Halls’ annual grant effective from April 2011.
Blackheath Halls is in the process of appealing this decision and plans to make representations to the Council at a meeting later this month.
In addition to its vibrant programme of jazz, rock, folk, classical and world music, comedy, cabaret, literary events, opera, dance, exhibitions, children’s theatre and family concerts, the Halls offers a diverse range of activities and participatory events to cater for all ages, and all levels of ability.
These include a community orchestra and chorus, a youth orchestra, an annual community opera, workshops for children and adults and tea dances. The Halls also works very closely with local schools and community groups, with well over 1,500 children and young people from right across Greenwich and the local area getting the opportunity to perform in the Halls last year, including young people with special needs.
The Greenwich Council grant has specifically been used to support these areas of activity, and its withdrawal will remove the Halls’ ability to continue to deliver such a programme of work for the local community.
We, the undersigned, call on Greenwich Council not to withdraw its annual grant to the Blackheath Halls.
The Stop the cuts to Blackheath Halls petition to Greenwich Council was written by Lydia Brookes and is in the category Arts & Entertainment at GoPetition.