TOWN councillors say bosses of Barnard Castle’s arts centre have got their “begging bowl out again” just five years
after people donated nearly £50,000 to keep the venue afloat.
The Witham trustees have written to the town council to ask for a grant of £1,000.
But members of the town council’s resources committee refused to make a decision until they could see The Witham’s accounts.
Committee chairwoman Cllr Laura Drew said: “Do we know if they are in financial straits again? It concerns me as they did a large fundraising appeal not so long ago and got a lot of money and they have got their begging bowl out again.
“It’s not that I would not support them as they add a lot of value to the town, but it’s a concern.”
In 2018, a Witham public fundraising campaign raised £48,000 in four weeks to stop the arts centre from closing.
In the letter to councillors, the trustees said The Witham is led by six trustees with a small number of paid employees. About 40 volunteers are registered with 20 “very active” in helping to run the building.
The letter said: “Local people continue to care about both the heritage value of the building and the services it provides in terms of arts and cultural activities.
“In effect it is the village hall of the town. However, the operating expenses for The Witham far exceed the expenses of village halls of adjacent communities. The Witham provides services for the town’s population. Its activities bring visitors into the town and local businesses benefit from the increased footfall.
“The Witham’s trustees are making a request to Barnard Castle Town Council for a grant of £1,000 to help support the ongoing operation of the facility.”
Cllr Drew said the letter didn’t give any financial details about the venue or say what the money would be spent on. Clerk Martin Clark said the council could inspect The Witham’s accounts.
However, Cllr Chris Foote-Wood, who is also a volunteer at The Witham, said: “It’s a fact that The Witham will continue to need extra funding.
“The reality of the situation is that The Witham delivers [events] mainly through the work of its volunteers – and it puts on a tremendous amount of activities.
“The quality of what is produced is very good. It’s an old historic building which inevitably has maintenance issues. The town council would be perfectly entitled to support the establishment. If we can do a little bit to help, then we should.”
Cllr Paul Ing called for more transparency at The Witham, saying he was worried that the arts venue was relying on too many outside agents to put on events and performances.
However, Cllr Foote-Wood said the professional standard of many of the acts meant the involvement of agents was inevitable.
