News

New Westy funding crisis?

By Pete Castle
May 21, 2009

THE West End Centre is facing a new funding crisis after its owner, Hampshire County Council, was unable to confirm whether it would be funded next year.

The much-loved Aldershot arts centre was given guarantees in 2007 that it would be funded in full until the end of this year.

However, members of the West End Centre Management Committee, the group of volunteers that helps run the Queen’s Road arts venue, are concerned they are yet to be told if cash will be available next year to run the Westy.

Without secure funding, the arts centre may struggle to book artists, bands and comedians for the spring season in 2010.

In a statement, the county council was unable to confirm the security of funding to the Westy next year.

No firm plans would be made until county and borough councils had developed a new “cultural strategy” for Aldershot and Farnborough, it said.

A spokesman said: “We are analysing the results from a wide range of consultation including the recent residents’ survey and data from a variety of local cultural venues including the West End Centre.

“The findings will enable a range of options on how to improve the cultural offer to be developed which will be subject to further consultation later in the year.”

The cultural strategy is likely to include plans to bring a Discovery Centre in some form to Aldershot or Farnborough.

Discovery Centres are Hampshire’s preferred way of paying for arts and library facilities, with new centres opening or planned across the county.

However, plans to bring such a centre to Aldershot brought outrage in 2007 when the Aldershot News & Mail revealed proposals suggesting the Westy could be sold to pay for it.

Many groups, including the Aldershot Civic Society, want to see cash invested in the Westy building to improve it as part of improved arts provision in the town.

A survey showed that people from North Town supported this viewpoint.

Their backing will come as a boost to campaigners who have argued that any new arts centre should not be at the expense of existing facilities.

The survey, carried out by North Town’s Labour councillors Keith Dibble, Frank Rust and Sue Dibble, was delivered to every household in the east Aldershot ward as part of a ward newsletter.

It elicited more than 200 responses.

The results showed that three-quarters of people (75%) agreed Aldershot would benefit from a new Discovery Centre.

An even greater number (84%) agreed that any such arts centre should be housed in a redeveloped existing building in the town centre and 95% said a brand new facility should not be at the expense of closing the existing library and West End Centre.

Commenting on the outcome of the survey, Cllr Keith Dibble said that it showed strong support for a new centre using current buildings as its base.

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