Mayor of London calls to save funding for Battersea Arts Centre » Local Government » 24dash.com

The Mayor of London is calling for Wandsworth to reverse cuts threat to Battersea Arts Centre.

Ken Livingstone was joined by local MP Martin Linton, local trade unionists and leading figures from the arts world in calling on Wandsworth council to turn back on its decision.

The Council decided on the 10th January 2007 to cut all of its £100,000 funding and impose charges of £270,000 a year for rent and running costs for the centre.

Battersea Arts Centre has earned an international reputation for excellence in the arts and is one of the country’s leading arts organisations. The centre is also a highly valued resource for Wandsworth residents.

It invests £300,000 in local schools and involves thousands of children in the borough in arts programmes.

Ken Livingstone said, "Wandsworth council must immediately reverse its decision to cut all funding from Battersea Arts Centre. If it carries out its threat, the major cultural, social and economic benefits which the Battersea Arts Centre delivers so successfully may be lost forever."

Wandsworth council recently recognised how valuable the Battersea Arts Centre is when it said in a report, 'Battersea Arts Centre provides a range of benefits to local residents, workers and students, and attracts visitors to the Borough.’

"That is precisely why so many supporters of Battersea Arts Centre, in Wandsworth and around the country, have expressed their opposition to the threat of a massive cut, said the Mayor.

"The threat to Battersea Arts Centre goes hand in hand with the announcement of cuts to Wandsworth Museum. The museum is and highly valued and popular local resource for the community. The attack on Battersea Arts Centre appears to be part of a wider cuts agenda being carried out by Wandsworth council, which threatens to cause real damage to the borough."

220,000 people visit the Battersea Arts Centre every year, 100,000 of which are local residents. The centre brings in £2 million worth of vital investment in Wandsworth’s cultural sector.

Battersea MP, Martin Linton said, "This was a very precipitous and ill-thought action by Wandsworth Council and I hope they are beginning to have second thoughts and are beginning to see the enormous damage their cuts would have. Battersea Arts Centre has built up a fantastic reputation over the last thirty years and it would be appalling if it was forced to close."

Wandsworth Museum is visited by over 30,000 visitors a year. Of these 8,000 are from school groups.

Julia Brandreth, Battersea and Wandsworth Trade Union Council (BWTUC) organiser said, ‘Edward Lister has referred to Wandsworth museum ‘as a non-essential service’ and presumably thinks the same about the arts centre. We think it is wholly unacceptable that the arts are seen in this way. Battersea arts centre is an institution in the area and its closure is not something the community will accept. The Trade Union movement will work with all interested parties to fight this closure. BWTUC represent thousands of trade unionists in Wandsworth. We are concerned about the impact on local jobs if BAC closes. We are also concerned that thousands of Wandsworth school children will lose educational services."

Artists who have started their careers at the Battersea Arts Centre include French & Saunders, Harry Hill and Paul Merton. The centre has also been responsible for developing a number of award winning shows including Jerry Springer: The Opera.

Dominic Cooke, Artistic Director, Royal Court Theatre, said, "BAC plays a unique role in the cultural life of the borough of Wandsworth and London as a whole. I worked there in the early stages of my career and, like many other directors, writers, actors and designers, I learned a huge amount from being given the platform and support that BAC provided. The developmental work at BAC feeds the whole theatre industry and it simply cannot be allowed to close."

A report for Wandsworth Council's Environment & Public Services Overview & Scrutiny Committee praised the value of Battersea Arts Centre to the borough saying the centre, 'Enjoys a strong reputation as a premier arts organisation and which contributes strongly to the local economy in the area.'

Nick Hytner, Director, National Theatre, said, "BAC is the vital adventurous creative well-spring of so much that is exciting about the theatre. Quite apart from it’s excellence as a venue and its hospitable flexibility, it has in recent years provided a whole generation of theatre makers without whom more established venues like the national would quickly atrophy. Its loss would be a crushing blow."