Author: Sal
2009 Jazz Festival Gets Go Ahead For Winter Gardens Use
Thursday, 24th July, 2008 at 1:05 pm, Isle of Wight
Business, Charity, Jazz Festival, Ventnor
At the last meeting of Ventnor Town Council, just after the public were excluded from the Winter Gardens Management Committee, the next agenda item to be discussed was the 2009 Jazz Festival – if they would sanction the hire of the Winter Gardens.
You might remember the black cloud over the festival with unpaid debts from both the 2007 Jazz Festival and the 2007 Folk and Blues Festival.
Chair of the Winter Gardens Management Committee (WGMC), Maureen Cawley, had agreed to pencil the 2009 festival in to take place at the Winter Gardens, subject to there being no negative publicity and all debts paid by September 2008.
After John Wortham raised concerns at a Ventnor Town Council meeting a couple of months ago, we understand from minutes of the WGMC that the situation would be reviewed on a monthly basis.
According to the minutes of the last meeting held on the 14th July, it appears that the WGMC have now decided that they will accept the booking from the organisers, Sigma Promotions to use the Winter Gardens in April 2009.
While many people in town and across the Island support _a_ Jazz festival in town, there’s a lot of discomfort — including BBC journalists — that the money that is owed to local businesses, who provided services in previous years, have not been paid.
VB will call around and find out the current state of play with monies outstanding from the Jazz Festival.
The subject of outstanding debts from the Folk and Blues Festival seem to have been totally ignored by the WGMC. Why, we’re not sure?
Related posts:
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At the Islands Full Council Meeting last Wednesday, John Wortham... - Response To Cawley & Fitzgerald Bond Letters on Jazz Festival
The author of this letter which has been sent to... - Jazz Festival Debts Still Outstanding
Here’s a little recap of events around Ventnor’s Winter Gardens... - John Wortham: “Absolutely Delighted” At Jazz Festival Decision
After the Ventnor Town Council meeting last night we caught...
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Perhaps Ventnor Town Council are going to stump up the cash for the outstanding money owed by Snellen and Ward.
Whilst I support the idea of a Jazz Festival (anywhere – not just in Ventnor)it should not be supported by the Council when there is so much money still owing from previous Festivals – and YES I am including the Folk/Blues Festival.
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I just hope that Salisbury Gardens will not be used again. I am disappointed that the council has decided to give the promotors yet another chance by allowing the use of the Winter Gardens. But then the council couldnt even see that a local planning application (submitted from the person who owns the basement flat below us,) was a ludicrous idea and would cause distress to quite a few residents here in Alexandra Gardens – so why would I expect any differant when it now looks like I may possibly have to endure further festivals on my doorstep. Perhaps I should contact some of my old friends and stage a punk concert on council members and promotors doorsteps? Leaving them with no access to local car parks for a week and noise disturbances over a weekend when most working people are trying to relax.
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I think that some people are under the misapprehension that the Town Council are behind this decision.
This decision has been made by the Winter Gardens Management Committee.
I firmly believe that had it been a TC only vote, it would be a different story possibly by 7 votes to 3.
It therefore appears that the WGMC are pro Snellen and Ward and are willing to ignore the outstanding debts and forgetting altogether the Blues and Folk Festival.
I believe that a member of the public, the inestimable John Wortham, raised this issue as did one of the Town Councillors, Rob Mew, but to no avail.
Readers may recall the comments of one member of the WGMC saying “Swing with it, this is an imperfect world, and jazz can make it a bit sweeter”.
An imperfect world? What, like “knocking” people for goods and services provided?
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Unfortunately, the decision to allow the Jazz Festival to use the Winter Gardens was a Ventnor Town Council decision.
The whole council sits on the Winter Gardens Committee. Only myself & one other councillor saw fit to vote against.
The majority of the council feel that the Jazz Festival should be dealt with in a vacuum, giving no consideration to the outstanding debts of the Folk & Blues Festival, organised by the same people.
I personally feel that doing business in this manner is amoral and not something I can condone.
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My apologies Councillor. I was under the mistaken impression that a cabal of half a dozen were the WGMC.
It is staggering then that only two of our elected Town Councillors saw fit to oppose this travesty.
I applaud you both and find it quite repugnant that the decision appeared to have been arrived at via one person meeting with the promoters and reporting to the rest of the committee and even more shocked that 3 other Councillors in particular and they will know who they are, saw fit to vote for acceptance.
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It is impossible to seperate the two Festivals as they are run by the same two people – even if they choose to hide behind different companies.
The Musicians’ Union have decided that both Festivals and both organisers are responsible and have effectively “Black Listed” them.
Ventnor Council should be prepared to shoulder some of the responsibilty for paying the outstanding bills if they are going to enter into a commercial agreement to promote any further Festivals.
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Debby, are you allowed to tell us which other councillor voted against?
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Jazz Fan said “Ventnor Council should be prepared to shoulder some of the responsibilty for paying the outstanding bills”.
I do not think so.
Why should we, who pay the precept which funds the TC, pay the debts of these two?
steve s, it would probably have been Rob or Buster as both have “had a go” about this in the past.
It’s a disgrace.
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