REDBRIDGE: Cabinet urged to reconsider cuts to Drama Centre budget (From East London and West Essex Guardian Series)

REDBRIDGE: Cabinet urged to reconsider cuts to Drama Centre budget

10:17am Wednesday 11th January 2012 in Your Local Areas By Dominic Sutton

THE Council was accused of endangering the ‘cultural nourishment’ of Redbridge’s children last night.

The claim was made by Pankaj Pathak, who pleaded with councillors at a meeting of the council’s Cabinet in Ilford Town Hall to reconsider cuts to the budget of Redbridge Drama Centre.

Mr Pathak, 42, a member of The Friends of Redbridge Drama Group, said the plans to cut £186,000 from the centre’s budget in 2012-13 and £292,000 the year after that would prove terminal.

He said a business plan prepared by the Drama Centre which had been used to work out cuts needed to be examined more closely.

And he added: “To what extent has that business plan been subject to any serious scrutiny?

“We know that the Director of Redbridge Drama Centre (Keith Homer) is an inspirational leader, but he is an arts man not a management consultant.

“To what extent was it even fair or equitable to invite him to present the plan in the first place?

“I will be very concerned if the council say, ‘well we have heard from the Drama Centre that they can survive a cut of this size, so we can wash our hands of them.’ “

“I invite the Cabinet Member for Children's Services, Councillor Weinberg, to meet with us and give us a clear indication of how he believes this centre can continue to survive.”

Councillor Weinberg replied that he was committed to the survival of the Drama Centre.

And he added: “The business plan has been prepared in conjunction with the relevant council officer, and the head of the Drama Centre is confident that these savings can be made.

“I have no reason to doubt what he says.

“I can assure Mr Pathak that over the course of the coming financial year I will be looking very closely at the savings for 2013-14 to see if they are achievable.

“I’m also happy to tell Cabinet that I will be doing the same for the music service and the youth service in general.”

Cabinet also approved initial budget proposals at the meeting, including a raft of proposed cuts to services, which will now be referred to the appropriate scrutiny and Area Committees for comment.

It was also announced that Council tax would be frozen for a third successive year but that council tenants would see rents rise by an average of 6.57percent, Service charges by an average of 10.8percent and heating bills by 17.7percent.

Cabinet member for Housing, Robin Turbefield, also confirmed that the council would take over the management of its housing stock from Redbridge Homes on August 1, leading to annual savings of almost £400,000.

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