Letter: GBC Are Copying the Tory’s Poor Treatment of Arts

Published on: 29 Jan, 2021
Updated on: 30 Jan, 2021

From: M Durant

In response to: GBC Executive Agrees Budget But Cites Future Challenges to be Faced

So the council is basing their decisions on one per cent of the population in Guildford borough, population about 150,000.

It’s terrible that they are cutting money to the museum and heritage, generally the arts, bikes and public toilets.

They seem to be copying Tory policy around the country, to treat people in the arts poorly. They have been paid poorly for years but charged top money to study at university for worthless degrees that will get them only poorly paid jobs.

Also, courses at the local adult education centre are expensive. Degrees of different value cost the same. Terrible universities have charges similar to universities in Oxford, Cambridge or UCL.

With the town centre regenerating scheme, if they are not spending money on tourism who do they think is going to come and use the facilities or shop here (there are hardly any students here as well)?

And the money that is going to be spent on regenerating the train station could be better spent on more important issues. Hardly anybody is travelling to go to work using the train station.

I really don’t think this is going to change for a while; all the shops, pubs, offices are still shut. Who is going to pay for all the travellers coming into the UK and put in hotels to quarantine?

If we don’t re-open the economy soon we will be looking at economic collapse and high inflation on top of the high death rate.

I have hope in the vaccines and the programme is going well in the area.

Responses to Letter: GBC Are Copying the Tory’s Poor Treatment of Arts

Paul Spooner Reply

January 29, 2021 at 4:55 pm

Is M Durant actually aware that Guildford Borough Council has not been run by the Conservatives since May 2019? Previous Conservative administrations have been incredibly supportive of the arts, culture and heritage in Guildford, and the change of priorities is extremely disappointing to many Tories in the Borough, myself included.

Not surprising that The Guildford Dragon NEWS editor chooses to run this letter without clarification, as it criticises Conservatives. Shameful as ever.

Paul Spooner led GBC until from October 2015 to May 2019 and is a borough councillor for Ash South & Tongham

Editor’s response. We have checked with the author and he confirmed that, as we had inferred, he meant GBC seemed to be copying Conservative policies seen across the country. Nonetheless, the letter has been amended to ensure that is clear to all. We wish to emphasise that, as expressed in our Comments Policy, the opinions expressed in comments and letters are those of the authors.