Bloody Horsham Council

Subject: RE: Bloody Horsham Council
From: vectis
Date: 22 Jul 06 - 08:42 PM

The restaurant is ahead again. Keep voting folks

Subject: RE: Bloody Horsham Council
From: Girl Friday
Date: 21 Jul 06 - 11:41 PM

Is there someone out there who is prepared to start up a concert venue at the town hall? The mobile people would, at least have the choice not to go to The Hawth or Chequermead. Orpington is only a small town, and can sustain two folk clubs.

Subject: RE: Bloody Horsham Council
From: Crane Driver
Date: 21 Jul 06 - 03:42 PM

Here, have a link

Subject: RE: Bloody Horsham Council
From: GUEST
Date: 21 Jul 06 - 06:45 AM

http://www.horsham.gov.uk/your_area/news_3827.asp

Sorry can't do blue clicky - it's worth reading before forming an opinion if you're out of area

Subject: RE: Bloody Horsham Council
From: GUEST
Date: 21 Jul 06 - 06:41 AM

The Drill Hall - the ex TA base in Horsham has been acquired fairly recently by Horsham District Council and offers recording facilities and rehearsal rooms - it's just a stone's throw from the Town Hall.

Subject: RE: Bloody Horsham Council
From: andrewq
Date: 21 Jul 06 - 06:24 AM

LTS, Horsham Arts Centre (now "The Capitol") has had a mixed programme over the years. When it first opened in the 80s it was rolling in money and had everything from the London Philharmonic Orchestra to pre-West End shows and some folk music events. As with most local authority venues the enthusiasm from councillors has hit peaks and troughs and the revenue budget has been on the low side for years. One of the problems is sustaining audiences: the town is affluent and people are largely mobile and can choose to travel to about a dozen venues that are fairly local. The Hawth just up the road at Crawley (which has quite a bit of music programming and a folk festival) does well from Horsham residents. A sizeable number also commute to London on a daily basis so can take their arts spend there.

The venue has an auditorium with good acoustics that seats about 450 people, studio space that is flexible for audiences of up to about 100 people, spacious foyers with bars, and a small cinema that has been used for "Art House" type movies in the past but now shows mainstream stuff. There is certainly no reason why folk events could not take place there if people wanted them to. When I used to live in Horsham there was always a lot of politicking between various arts groups and this current debate seems to indicate that not much has changed.

Although I'm not a particular fan of Horsham District Council it is unfair for some people to paint them as the bad guys in all this. No local authority has a statutory duty to provide any arts provison - it is entirley discretionary spending - and Horsham has done better than most. It has just spent over 5 million pounds relaunching "The Capitol".

Subject: RE: Bloody Horsham Council
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 21 Jul 06 - 03:49 AM

Horsham Arts Centre now called The Capitol seems to have been refurbished recently.... and is definately NOT a Portakabin in the corner of the park!

(Sorry, the search didn't net me anything and this popped up after I posted previously...)

However.. it does seem to be catering for the younger audience and cinema goers, rather than traditional and classical music.

LTS

Subject: RE: Bloody Horsham Council
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 21 Jul 06 - 03:42 AM

What are the accoustics like in the other arts centre? Is it a purpose built accoustically sound building or is it a Portakabin on the edge of some park somewhere?

LTS

Subject: RE: Bloody Horsham Council
From: GUEST
Date: 20 Jul 06 - 07:23 PM

Thanks for the link, SussexCarole. It is interesting that the site makes absolutely no reference to the existing well-established Arts Centre that the Council funds. I wonder why some of the individuals do not choose to be involved and use that rather than aiming to set up another? Horsham is a relatively small place; one wonders if it can be sensible to have competing arts centres in the same town vying for the same public funds and limited audiences?

Subject: RE: Bloody Horsham Council
From: SussexCarole
Date: 20 Jul 06 - 07:02 PM

You may be interested to look at this site

Subject: RE: Bloody Horsham Council
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 20 Jul 06 - 06:28 PM

If I remember correctly the number of rich bastards in Horsham, including, formerly, some relatives of mine, they can well afford to support something that preserves the arts of some of the less well off. A highwayman would be good.

Most of them do not need another restaurant.

Subject: RE: Bloody Horsham Council
From: andrewq
Date: 20 Jul 06 - 05:39 PM

Shimrod, there already IS an arts centre in Horsham and it is almost entirely funded by the council. Spreading the finite resources between several different buildings is counterproductive. It has been fairly easy to get funding to open arts centres; securing revenue funding so that they can operate properly with a good artistic programme is the tricky part. The usual pattern is that money is thrown at a project in its first couple of years and then they die a long slow death as the commercial realities bite. There are about a dozen local authority/trust funded venues within easy drive of Horsham as well as the Capitol arts centre in the town itself. Most of these venues are unable to sustain a decent programme; there is no shortage of buildings.

Subject: RE: Bloody Horsham Council
From: GUEST,Shimrod
Date: 20 Jul 06 - 02:39 PM

Don't Horsham council know about their heritage?! Weren't Henry Burstow and Peter and Harriet Verral from the Horsham area? There should be statues - as well as an Arts Centre! Perhaps the council need to be reminded of their responsibilities ...

Subject: RE: Bloody Horsham Council
From: Surreysinger
Date: 19 Jul 06 - 06:55 PM

Geordie Peorgie - I wasn't actually criticising the substance of your posting - only pointing out that you were ascribing the poll to the Council when it was (apparently) nothing to do with them. I'm not the one that needs the support... I'm just a bystander who's interested. As far as I understand it the Project Manager for the scheme is due to set up a website with details of the project in the next few weeks, and there is also a folk festival or event planned for September before the Council meeting at which a decision on the matter is due.

.

Subject: RE: Bloody Horsham Council
From: vectis
Date: 19 Jul 06 - 06:42 PM

The voting now stands at 65/35 in favour of the arts centre.
From what I've gathered the venue was supposed to become a folk arts centre but the council reneged on the deal when the restaurant was proposed. But Hey! Maybe that's just another rumour.

Subject: RE: Bloody Horsham Council
From: Geordie-Peorgie
Date: 19 Jul 06 - 06:20 PM

Hey, Surreysinger! Aa'm sorry - Aah just thought, when aah got the e-mail, aa'd like to make a difference

My apologies if the detail wasn't to your liking - aah suppose it had absolutely nowt te dee with Horsham Cooncil - Aah looked in the current threads to see if there was anything on screen but obviously aah cannit spend aall me time on Mudcat like some - Pardon my ignorance for trying to dee summat worthwhile

It now stands at 64% for the Arts Centre - Thank you anyone who voted through this thread or Tom's - aa'm sure Surreysinger appreciates the support

Ye fond gonniel

Subject: RE: Bloody Horsham Council
From: SussexCarole
Date: 19 Jul 06 - 06:10 PM

...copied from other thread on this subject
Being Horsham born and bred I know the town hall very well. It is a very impressive old building which used to be the Assizes, in fact the acid bath murderer Haigh was committed to Crown Court from there. The rear of the building houses the Register Office but the main large room, for as long as I can remember had been used for one day markets, meetings etc...such a waste. If the council set this up as a community centre /folk venue it would be wonderful (and what a superb venue for Horsham Folk Club) BUT as already pointed out, council funding appears to already be pushed to the limit and the Town Hall building must be very costly to maintain. Would the council be prepared to forego the rent from a viable restaurant business to allow this to be used by the community at nominal rates?   It is better that we all understand the real pros & cons before voting. Yes it would make a wonderful folk & community centre BUT realistically how could this be funded and how long could this use be sustained?..and.. As someone else has already pointed out...what help is it to the Horsham community if votes are cast from far & wide by people who will not use the facility on a regular basis.

SussexCaroleinSwansea

Subject: RE: Bloody Horsham Council
From: andrewq
Date: 19 Jul 06 - 05:51 PM

It's all a bit naughty of W. Sussex County Times as they've been nothing but a pain in the **** over the years in relation to the existing Horsham Arts Centre (now known as The Capitol). When I lived in the area they loved nothing more than to print knocking copy instead of supporting the venue. The existing Arts Centre has recently had 5.4 million pounds spent on it by "Bloody Horsham Council" to bring it back to some of its former Art Deco glory and now just needs well funding in order to have a decent artistic programme. It already has a middle scale theatre, studio space and cinema.

The idea of opening another arts centre in Horsham is preposterous without substantial additional revenue funding. There are very many venues within easy distance of Horsham (The Hawth, Christs' Hospital Theatre, Harlequin, Chequer Mead, etc. etc.) It is pointless to waste more public money on bricks and mortar rather than artistic activity to fill the existing spaces.

Subject: RE: Bloody Horsham Council
From: Surreysinger
Date: 19 Jul 06 - 05:30 PM

Geordie Porgie - some of your facts don't seem to be correct. West Sussex County Times have sneaked a poll onto their website - which is the web address you have quoted, and not that of Horsham Council. When I voted this morning after getting an email from SEFAN which asked for urgent action, as the paper goes to press tomorrow, the poll was standing at 64% in favour of a restaurant - it now stands at 64% in favour of the Arts centre. However, I suspect the poll is fairly small as my one vote this morning caused a swing of 1% in favour of the folk/Arts centre! I also suspect that it is questionable if the poll population is particularly representative of the area of interest, since anybody in Scotland could, if they wished, submit a vote - in my case I don't live very far away from Horsham, but there doesn't seem to be any detail taken of the person who has voted, or any detail of their location in the UK!

Subject: RE: Bloody Horsham Council
From: Folkiedave
Date: 19 Jul 06 - 04:30 PM

And it might be best reading the other thread before voting.

Subject: RE: Bloody Horsham Council
From: Rasener
Date: 19 Jul 06 - 03:47 PM

There is already a thread started by Tom Bliss on this subject

Vote for Folk - Horsham Town Hall

Subject: RE: Bloody Horsham Council
From: oombanjo
Date: 19 Jul 06 - 03:36 PM

one vote for the folkies . Come on ya'll it was easy

Subject: RE: Bloody Horsham Council
From: the fence
Date: 19 Jul 06 - 03:32 PM

looks like its working

Subject: Bloody Horsham Council
From: Geordie-Peorgie
Date: 19 Jul 06 - 03:19 PM

Horsham Council have been looking for a way tyo 'utilise' their town hall for some time

One of the options was a 'Folk & Cultural Centre' - The other was a Restaurant

Horsham Council have 'sneaked' a 'poll' onto their website requesting public opinion on which option would be preferred

At the moment the restaurant option is ahead by 86% to 14% for the Arts Centre

Please go to www.horshamtoday.co.uk and scroll down to place a vote online

You can guarantee the councillors will have informed their mates to do likewise with regards to the Restaurant

Gan on!! Ye knaa it meks sense