DLWP petition put before the council

The group had raised a petition, which stands at 2,100 signatures, asking the council to cut down its £500,000 yearly grant to the DLWP to £400,000, and using the spare £100,000 to increase the Pavilion’s incentive grant, based on satisfaction surveys, to £120,000.

The size of the petition meant Rother District Council had to listen to the Bexhill Alliance in full council and for councillors to debate these views, which reflect a level of frustration locally with the DLWP’s programme of events.

Meanwhile Rother has raised concerns such a move could jeopardise vital funding from Arts Council England.

Bexhill Alliance founder John Lee said: “The importance of sustained Arts Council funding is well understood.

“The link between the Pavilion’s artistic policy and this funding is also fully recognised.

“The place of the Pavilion in the wider context of Bexhill is readily acknowledged. We want the Pavilion to succeed.”

Mr Lee went on to say his petition was “no threat” to the DLWP, unless it is totally beyond council control.

“Put quite simply the petition reflects the exclusion felt by many residents from what has traditionally been enjoyed and valued as a community facility in line with the original aims of its founder [the ninth Earl De La Warr].”

Following Mr Lee’s presentation, Cllrs Christopher Starnes and Robin Patten left the council chamber as they had declared an interest due to them sitting on the DLWP’s committee.

Cllr Brian Kentfield said: “I have been on this council for 20 years and we were having the same discussion.

“Ten years ago the De La Warr Pavilion was costing us £1million per annum. It was falling down and haemorrhaging money, and the entertainment wasn’t particularly good.

“Now it is in a stable position.”

He also expressed concerns about potential clawback agreements with lottery funding and that the council risked “tampering” with its agreement with Arts Council England.

Cllr David Russell said the DLWP sees 200,000 visitors a year and brings £16million a year into the local economy. He warned if the building came back to Rother one of the options would be to “mothball” it.

The committee agreed to ask the council’s Cabinet to take the petition into consideration, and for Cllrs Starnes and Patten to meet with Mr Lee to discuss the Alliance’s views further.

• Recommendations to Cabinet from the scrutiny committee are:

1. That the current grant of £500,000 to the DLWP should roll over for the next three years

2. The incentive grant be abandoned

3. No more independent resident satisfation surveys to be conducted