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Council may be using disabled people as smokescreen for very poor decision to use council tax for theatre revamp
Bath & North East Somerset Council’s claims that a plan to spend up to £100,000 of council tax doing up Bath’s Theatre Royal is solely aimed at improving disabled access looks like a smokescreen for a very poor decision, says a local MP.
When they meet next Tuesday to set their annual budget, Tory-run B&NES Council is expected to agree to put the cash towards the Theatre Royal, whilst making large-scale cuts to job and services used by council tax payers. But they’ve come under increasing pressure, from Dan Norris MP, the Labour group of B&NES councillors and local council tax payers, to backtrack on using public money for a theatre revamp.
When quizzed about the plans in radio interviews, Council leader Francine Haeberling claimed the money is “specifically for disability access” (see Notes to Editor). Yet Dan Norris understands B&NES has not actually consulted with disabled people about the spending plans, so is now asking the council’s £170,000 per year Chief Executive to explain.
Dan pointed out how a news release issued by the Council’s press office deliberately did not mention the Theatre Royal grant, following public anger about the plans after they became public as part of official council papers.
Dan said: “Senior B&NES councillors now prefer to keep quiet about their Theatre Royal plans. But Labour councillors and people right across North East Somerset are urging them to abandon this and instead channel the money on local priorities.
“Astute journalists have been asking questions the Tories want to shy away from. The claim this is about disabled access looks like a smokescreen for a very poor decision, because I have been told no consultation was carried out with disabled people before committing the cash.
“Conservative-run B&NES usually picks on the most vulnerable people when setting budgets, so they must be desperate to be seen as championing disabled people. But it doesn’t seem to stack up, so I am asking urgent questions.”
In his letter / email to Chief Executive John Everitt, Dan has asked: “If this money really is about improving disabled access, exactly what consultation with disabled people and disabled groups, including the council’s own voice of disabled people, Equality B&NES, was carried out before the plans were officially published as part of the council’s Cabinet paperwork.”
Dan outlined previous examples of poor treatment of disabled people by B&NES: “Two years ago there was outrage when B&NES started charging disabled people to park in Keynsham car parks – again without consultation. They were forced into a humiliating u-turn because of public pressure.
“And last spring it emerged B&NES had failed to consult its own Disability Equality Forum group in supporting a bid for Government cash for an access ramp at Keynsham train station. The very poor quality of B&NES’ bid led to it failing, so Keynsham missed out on vital cash.”
Dan stressed it is not too late for a change of heart from B&NES on the theatre cash. “Senior B&NES councillors should put this money into protecting services used by people across the district, and the jobs of people who provide them,” he said. “When they meet next week, the consciences of Tory councillors should be troubled enough to change their minds and put local priorities first.”
Mr Norris added that people have been asking him if there is any link between the fact that the senior Tory Cabinet councillor in charge of council finances, Malcolm Hanney, is a Director of Bath Theatre Royal, and the plan to spend council tax in this way. He said: “The council leader has been at pains to stress the council finance chief has not been involved in this key council finance issue. It’s not surprising that council tax payers are raising questions about a possible link. This may be unfair to Cllr Hanney, but unless he can robustly explain himself, rather than through others speaking for him on the radio, why he believes it is not an issue, then these concerns will understandably rumble on.”
Notes
1 Equality B&NES is a voice for disabled people, run by Bath People First, and last year replaced what was called the Disability Equality Forum. Its stated aims included “to enable people to have a regular input to Council Committees and consultation processes”
2 Transcript of radio broadcast 1, BBC Radio Bristol Breakfast, 8.25 am, Wednesday 3 February
Cllr Haeberling: The money that we are giving is to go to disability access. Now that will be for a lot of people, disadvantaged people, people who are vulnerable, who normally would not have access to the theatre
Steve Le Fevre: So It’s not to facelift the thing, it’s actually to make it accessible to disabled people is what you’re saying?
Cllr H: Our part of the contribution is that. The theatre themselves are putting more than £ 3million in, and they don’t normally come to us and ask for anything but this is specifically for disability access.
3 Transcript of radio broadcast 2, Radio Somerset Breakfast, 8.15 am, Wednesday 3 February
Vernon Harwood: Now just answer one point that’s been raised. And that’s that one of your fellow councillors, Malcolm Hanney, is on the Board of the Theatre Royal. That is correct isn’t it?
Cllr Haeberling: He is, yes.
VH: Would that not constitute a serious conflict of interest?
Cllr H: If the
decision was made by him, and it’s not, it wasn’t made by him,
I suppose one could say that. But I don’t think so in any way. He
has not been involved in any way in this grant.
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