Kingston Theatre in the Surrey Comet
The Surrey Comet makes a front page story today out of the delay in opening the Rose of Kingston theatre. This was never the secret that the paper claims it was. The theatre has always said that it would take a year to fit out the building, and it is obvious to anyone walking past the site that work has not yet begun.
Last summer the Council put together a financial package to enable the project to be finished. It was only then that the lawyers got to work. Any hopes of completing the legal agreements in a couple of months were soon dashed. But I'm pleased to be able to say that everything is now in place, ready for the final transfer of funding from the three parties, General Mediterranean Holdings, Kingston Council and Kingston University.
In case anyone is puzzled about why this non-story has suddenly appeared at such length, they need only notice that the local elections will be in May.
In the article, my comments at Council last week are quoted, and it mentions that I am a trustee. It also says that Kevin Davis, leader of the Conservative group, is 'deeply concerned'.
But it doesn't mention that Kevin was appointed last month as a trustee of the theatre. And that he has access to all the reports which would explain the delay.
Odd, that.
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I do not need access to trustee board reports to know about the delay. As I mentioned at the Council meeting you refer to it is clear from walking past that the building is empty.
We were all informed in June 2005 that the "deal" was being rushed through without the opportunity for proper Council scrutiny because the building work needed to start in September 2005 to meet the plan of opening in Spetmeber 2006. Part of that deal was to fund the running costs of the theatre staff up to the opening in September 2006. You do not need to be a trustee to work out that the theatre will need six months more running costs and it has only one source of income - the Council tax payer!
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