Theatre would bring people into town

I am following up on the letters sent by Cllr Diccon Spain (January 27) and Cllr Charles Suddards (February 3) on the continued lack of a theatre for Ashford.

It is interesting to note that Ashford Borough Council has recently put out a tender for an arts organisation to provide cultural activities to the amount of £81,000 that will help regenerate the high street.

For three years now they have been funding an out-of-borough outdoor arts provider to bring cultural activities into the high street.

Has this helped towards more shops opening up on the high street, and resulted in more thriving businesses; has it produced more longer-term job opportunities for people who live in the town; has it resulted in more young people and students taking up arts courses in local colleges and has it kick-started careers in the arts?

Would this money not be more effectively spent on investing in a flexible performing arts venue and theatre on a longerterm basis which would result in more footfall at night, more people coming into Ashford to enjoy a range of culture, diverse communities having a platform for their cultural activities and young people benefitting from a year-long programme of training and skills development in the arts.

Ashford Borough Council states that a consultation process was undertaken before this tender was released - who exactly was involved in this consultation process, how many local community and arts organisations were involved and how many of the local population were asked for their opinions? Priti Paintal, director, ShivaNova/ Equator Festival