Issue - meetings

Bath Festivals has approached the Council for a loan of £75,000 to enable them to continue to implement their new business plan and continue to operate.

The Chair informed the meeting that part of this report has been marked as confidential.  However, the Cabinet would debate this matter in public without addressing any points from confidential paper.  If any of the Cabinet Members felt that they had to raise the points from the confidential papers, then the Chair would ask the public to vacate the meeting.

Councillor Richard Samuel introduced the report by saying that Bath Festivals has approached the Council for a loan of £75,000 to enable them to continue to implement their new business plan and continue to operate. The organisation needed to raise £300,000 of which it had pledges for £210,000 through a Charitable Investment Bond, plus an offer of a loan of £25,000 from a Charitable Trust but only if Bath and North East Somerset Council would agree toprovide a £75,000 loan. Following an assessment of their financial position, the Council’s Director of Finance has outlined that a more sustainable way forward would be to offer a one-off grant with conditions to support the group through the next three years. The conditions would enable B&NES to assist with improving the Festival’s forward programming.

Councillor Richard Samuel moved the recommendations.

Councillor Dine Romero seconded the motion by saying that a one-off grant would be an investment into something that would be a benefit for the residents.

Councillor Paul Crossley welcomed the proposal and added that the first proposed condition in paragraph 3.3 of the report was quite important in terms of involving residents from all community groups.  Council Crossley stressed that one-off grant, with conditions, would enable festival to become self-financed.

Councillor Tim Ball agreed with Councillor Crossley by saying that visiting audience would have to be wider, and the only way to achieve that would be in offering different music genre.

Councillor Richard Samuel welcomed the comment from Councillor Crossley that Bath Festivals should be self-financed and invited the Cabinet to agree with the additional recommendation which would read:

‘The Cabinet agree to receive an interim progress report from the Cabinet Member for Community Services by November 2019 to review the achievement of objectives set by the Council as a condition of the grant.’

RESOLVED (unanimously) that the Cabinet agreed to:

2.1  Approve a conditional one-off grant of £75,000 to Bath Festivals from the Revenue Budget Contingency to ensure that the Council can assist with improving the community reach and accessibility for residents of the Bath Festivals Programme, as well as the profitability of the programme.

2.2  The conditions to be agreed by the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Leader of the Council.

2.3  Receive an interim progress report from the Cabinet Member for Community Services by November 2019 to review the achievement of objectives set by the Council as a condition of the grant.