Topic: | Re:Re:Re:Sad news about Brentford Festival cancellation | |
Posted by: | Jan Jones | |
Date/Time: | 24/02/12 01:25:00 |
Good morning. I would just like to address a few points: 1. LBH did offer to pay JLIS the fee which we believe would have been £6,000, so there was no point in Matt, Ruth and Mel being contacted because the BF committee decided they would not accept that course of action out of principle. 2. The BF committee did not, therefore, contact the local ward councillors for that very reason. 3. In their defence, Matt and Ruth have done their fair share of litter picking at the Festival, as has Andrew. 4. Whilst I may be inclined in one direction politically, I have always tried to maintain a balanced view on local events and involvement with FOBM and BF, so I am sad that this discussion about an important event has deteriorated into a political argument. 5. Having been involved in organising visits from all Mayors from Ealing and Hounslow for several years, I have, as have we all, been grateful for their continued support, regardless of whatever party they represent and I feel proud that the Festival has been multi-party, multi-cultural, and appeals to everyone from a variety of social-economic and age groups. Basically, we don't need to be told about the 'Big Society' - we are the 'Big Society' and there is a huge amount of people in Hounslow who live out that commitment, regardless of their political affiliations. 6. I take on board that some people could have felt Matt was passing the buck - but it seems to be an inevitable consequence of being in politics. 7. I was sorry to see Andrew Dakers leave local politics and hope that he will return, though I am aware that he has been involved with some important work in the interim. 8. Finally, can we please put this discussion back on tack to cover the Festival and how the situation can be improved in the future? |