Some Things Never Change

Posted By: Wera Hobhouse
Date Posted: 01/04/2011

The debate over the future of our Arts and Heritage services is ongoing maybe a start to make Link4Life think again!
The Chairman for Link4life has called my remarks ‘outrageous’, ‘ludicrous’, ‘untrue’ and even ‘illegal’. I was even summoned to the Borough Solicitor’s office in an attempt to make me withdraw what I said few weeks ago.
But I won’t so easily shut up when I believe that the Council or any organisation linked to the Council is getting it badly wrong.
We in Rochdale are now sadly getting used to the loss of more and more services; over some we have little control (like the loss of services in the Infirmary or the Magistrates Court), but in the case of Arts and Heritage services we do and I am convinced that we are on a course of destruction of a service that will be lost for ever unless we speak up now.
And no amount of name calling or intimidation will stop me!

I repeat that the cuts that are being made to the Arts Budget compared to the Sports Budget are entirely disproportionate. And this is the reason: the cuts to the Arts budget are achieved by cutting staff and services, while a lot of the cuts to the sports service are ‘Capital’ or ‘efficiency savings’. For example one of the ‘efficiency saving’ or ‘cuts’ to the Sports budget is the electricity bill for Heywood Sports Village because it now costs less to run the new building than running the old Gaskell Bath. Link4Life is entitled to calculate their budget in this way but my point is that Link4Life is putting a spin on their figures to try and hide their decimation of the Arts and Heritage Service.

Link4Life can say as often as they like that the Arts and Heritage Services will continue but they have to explain how things like changing exhibitions, educational support for schools or access to stores will go on, when there are almost no people left to do it.
There is a plaque right next to the entrance of Touchstones Gallery dedicated to James Ogden, Freeman of the Borough who died in 1907 which says:
“In the first year of the 20th Century a sum of money was given by a burgess of this borough to the corporation of his native town for his love of Art and to encourage the appreciation of Art for Art’s sake not only as means of elevation and to refining the public taste but as a source of pleasure and instruction too often neglected in a manufacturing town.”

A source of pleasure and instruction too often neglected in this town - some things never change!