This money should be spent in Ashford

Regarding the Ashford Borough Council (ABC) meeting about a theatre for Ashford - and the statement by the leader of the council that ‘We will have a theatre in Ashford - it won’t come tomorrow but it might come in the next four to five years’. This is council-speak for ‘when Hell freezes over’ and is all smoke and mirrors. The word ‘might’ means that there is no chance that we will have a theatre in the vaguely quoted timescale. I believe that was, in fact, said to be five to seven years - unless my ears deceived me. This is all bluff to make us think there are plans in the offing in the hope of shutting us up. One of the councillors said he had done his own research into other theatres in Kent regarding ‘bums on seats’ and came to the conclusion that they are rarely filled to capacity. He couldn’t have looked at The Marlowe or why is it that some shows need to be booked many months in advance? I booked to see several shows in 2019 early this year, have just booked next Christmas’s panto and one show that doesn’t arrive until 2020! Members of my family and friends are regular visitors to the Marlowe and they know how well attended it is - and don’t see many empty seats. This is all money that should be spent in Ashford. It speaks volumes that Fourth Street was not asked about the bingo hall, showing ABC never intended listening to local people and no surprise that 29 councillors voted (some seemingly quite gleefully) against halting plans to demolish the Odeon building. I actually wonder why they are members, if they care so little about the town’s heritage. It could be said that some get themselves onto committees and boards to ‘leave their mark’, which isn’t much good when they are not remembered for making a positive and worthwhile improvement to peoples’ lives. Dee Collins, Ashford