Save Tower Arts protest at 9.15am on Wednesday 18th July at the County Council Offices

The Save Tower Arts campaign is organising a protest at 9.15am on Wednesday 18th July by the Pig by the front entrance to the Hampshire County Council offices in Winchester – shortly before the ‘Decision Day’ that will consider the transfer of the Tower Arts Centre to Kings’ School. They’ve asked us to bring placards and banners. We’ll be making some extra placards in the office.

Many local people of all parties and none have already been involved in the campaign and have signed the petition at http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/SaveTowerArts/, have written to County and City Councillors – or joined the various online groups such as the Facebook group and the mySpace group. The photo to the left shows ward Councillor Alexis Fall and Mark Oaten discussing the campaign.

I was at the Decision Day when Councillor Snaith made the decision to go ahead with these plans and was genuinely appalled at the disgraceful consultation process, the incompetent planning and half-baked thinking behind the administration’s decision. I can cope with ideological differences – but find incompetence harder to forgive! In essence, the Conservatives have taken the Tower Arts Centre and put in place a plan that will ‘save the tower’ but effectively end the ‘arts’ programme in the process. There will no longer be a programme director for the Tower and, as the Chronicle reported this week, there will no longer be any arts funding. The bigger the demonstration, the better the media coverage and the more pressure will be put on the County Council to reverse this decision. It would be great if you could attend!