Greenwich Council has agreed a £100,000 grant to the Greenwich and Docklands International Festival, just days before it’s due to begin.
The funding was signed off by the Leader of the Council, Cllr Chris Roberts, last week.
A report by council officers says that the £100,000 will allow the Greenwich and Docklands International Festival (GDIF) to run a 9 day programme of events.
The grant will be funded from the Olympic Legacy fund for the Cultural Olympiad and from the Arts grants budget.
Conservative councillors on the Overview and Scrutiny Committee used their powers to “call-in” the decision – a move designed to allow more time for the decision to be considered.
But after meeting with the cabinet member for Culture and the Olympics, Cllr John Fahy, last night, the Conservatives have agreed that the funding should be provided.
Councillor Nigel Fletcher, who is Deputy Leader of the Opposition and Greenwich Conservatives’ spokesman for Culture, said:
“We support the Festivals, which have been a growing success, but in the current financial climate we need to look very closely at how taxpayers’ money is being spent. Earlier this year we spent night after night hearing from community groups that are losing grant funding, so it was right for us to exercise our powers of oversight when it came to this very large item of spending.
“There must be much greater transparency over next year’s funding arrangements, and ideally we should be helping them attract sponsorship so that Greenwich taxpayers are not bearing such a large share of the burden. I hope the Labour leadership will take those points on board, and if so we will work constructively with them to ensure we get value for money.”
Cllr John Fahy, the Cabinet member for Culture and the Olympics, told Greenwich.co.uk:
“Funding for the Greenwich Festivals is provided by the Council as seed funding for the participating organisations to maximise inward investment. This funding forms part of the Olympic Legacy funding. The Council element is small in comparison to the income achieved. For instance GDIF brings in £800k, the Council contributes £100k. Summer Sessions brings in a similar amount. Their grant is £60k.
“We are working to develop a Cultural Trust which will promote the Greenwich Festivals post 2012 as this particular funding stream will cease to exist.”
Other organisations that provide funding the Greenwich and Docklands International Festival include the Arts Council and Tower Hamlets Council. It’s London’s biggest outdoor performing arts festival, and one of the biggest in Europe. The nine-day programme of events kicks off this Friday.