Issue - meetings
Petitions (if any)
Meeting: 13/06/2011 - Executive (Item 4)
Petitions - Arts and Festival strategy
The following petitions have been received:
1) “Stop the Navratri Grant cuts proposed by the Council”
(approximately 281 signatures from people who live, work or study in Brent)
2) Save the St Patrick’s Day Parade
“We the undersigned sign this petition to ask that Brent Council continue to fund and support the traditional celebrations of St Patrick’s Day in Willesden Green for the benefit of the whole community.”
(approximately 110 signatures from people who live, work or study in Brent)
3) Save Navratri Petition
“We oppose Brent Council cutting funding for the Navratri Celebrations and call for it to be restored.”
Joint report from the Directors of Citizens and Customer Engagement and Environment and Neighbourhood Services
(approximately 5,000 signatures from people who live, work or study in Brent)
Decision:
Noted.
Minutes:
Ms Deepa Patel (Secretary, Hindu Council) addressed the Executive, on behalf of petitioners opposing proposals to cut funding for Navratri Celebrations as part of an overall revision of funding for festivals set out in the report from the Directors of Customer and Community Engagement and Environment and Neighbourhood Services. Ms Patel stated that the Festival had been celebrated for 30 years in Brent, was attended by people of all ages and was an opportunity for all including old and disabled people, women and hard to reach groups. She also said that the Festival encouraged young people to understand morals. Ms Patel stated that the events were friendly with no public disorder issues and were beneficial to schools who received funding from the hire of halls and got involved in the cultural activities. The funding was essential to the organisations to provide what was seen to be an important calendar event, enjoyed by all communities that could not be celebrated in homes. Ms Patel called on the council to review festival funding in a fair manner and without bias.
Nakul Shah spoke on behalf of signatories to the petition 'Stop the Navratri cuts proposed by the council' and stated that theh Navratri Festival was associated with those young people who were seen to be polite and willing to volunteer, in contrast to others comprising trouble making gangs. He also referred to the opportunities the Festival provided for people of all groups to enjoy themselves and funds paid to schools which allowed them maintain premises. Mr Shah understood the financial pressures and asked the council to hold discussions to come to a mutually agreeable position.
Mr Michael Sills (Chair, St Patrick's Day Festival Committee) spoke for petitioners asking for the St Patrick's Day Parade to be saved. The Festival has been going for 14 years and was the most important annual celebration, taking place in Willesden High Road in the centre of the community also supported by the Irish business community. Mr Sills hoped to work in partnership with the council support for the Festival which was a show case for music and dance. He asked the council to reconsider proposals to cease funding the festival and ended by thanking the Chair and other councillors for their support over the years, hoping that the festivals could be retained to bring some cheer especially in the current, gloomy economic times.