Nigel Fletcher in Opposition

Cutty Sark saved (again)

Greenwich Council's cabinet committee has a meeting this afternoon (called at short notice) to agree £3m of extra funding for the Cutty Sark. I was briefed on it yesterday, and it seems there have been ongoing discussions for some time to close the remaining £12m funding gap. This will now be made up by £1m funding from the Mayor of London (thanks Boris!), £3m from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, £1m from a new trustee, £2m from planning agreements (Section 106 funds), and a £2m grant for renovating Cutty Sark gardens. If the Council agrees the extra £3m, that closes the gap.

Many people will have a sense of deja vu at headlines declaring the Cutty Sark saved, as it isn't the first time a funding gap has been identified and then closed. The extra costs and delays following the fire have had more of an impact than was first anticipated, and it is fair to say there have been question marks over the financial controls that were in place. I am reliably informed the Heritage Lottery Fund (who have provided the vast majority of the funding so far), have insisted on serious tightening up of the management of the project, and things are now much better than they were.

There are some outstanding issues, such as what Greenwich residents will get in return for the £3m the Council is putting in, and I will be exploring that at the meeting today. Below is the quote I’ve put out to the press ahead of the meeting:

Councillor Nigel Fletcher, Greenwich Conservatives’ Spokesman for Culture and Olympics, said:

“Restoring the Cutty Sark is a hugely important project for Greenwich, given its status as a world-famous tourist destination. The extra funding needed to finish the job would ideally have been found from private donations, but in the current economic climate that avenue has been all but exhausted.

“This is actually the first time Greenwich Council has provided direct financial support to the project, which demonstrates the hard work the Trust has itself done to raise funds. With the Mayor of London and Central Government now contributing to make up the shortfall, it is right we should play our part. Hard-pressed taxpayers may find it a tough pill to swallow, but pulling the plug on the project at this stage would be unthinkable.

“There are already a number of suggestions for direct benefits the Borough's residents can expect in return for this assistance, and I am pressing for an agreement that a proportion of future revenue be allocated to small-scale local heritage projects. I have already discussed that with the Trust and will be making the case for it at the Cabinet Committee meeting this afternoon.'

Update: 3.55pm: As expected, the committee (comprising Deputy Leader Peter Brooks and Cabinet Member for Culture John Fahy) agreed the grant, after briefings from the Council's Chief Executive and other senior officers. Myself and Lib Dem Councillor Paul Webbewood were in attendance to ask questions on the detail. I made the point that it is important we communicate how much of a positive impact the Cutty Sark has on the Borough, and that we make the most of the opportunities we now have as a co-funder of the project, including my suggestion that some of the revenue generated in future could be channelled into smaller heritage projects in the Borough. This is something which will now be discussed with the Trust as part of drawing up the agreement with them for the donation.

True Grit

After battling into work and back yesterday, I had to concede defeat today with trains failing to run on the Dartford line. I had a long piece of work to do, so stayed home, logged into my work email and got on with it. Fine, until my central heating stopped working. I'm glad to say the 'Doctor Who' approach of delivering a sharp whack to the side of the boilder got it fired up again.

Anyway, I've also been in touch with Council officials to check on the gritting situation, as several people have raised concerns that the operation didn't seem as thorough as it had been earlier in the week. There have also been media stories about grit shortages, so I asked about that too. I've now had this response:

"The Council gritters have been working continuously all week ,at present the situation is as follows...There is more snow forecast for today and the following few days .We are working to the Councils Snow Plan ( this can be viewed on the Councils web site ) we will be salting priority one roads until they are clear and moving onto Priority 2 roads afterwards.The minor roads will be attended to as and when Priority one and two roads are clear of snow and ice.
The footways are being cleared and salted by Cleansweep who are also working to the Snow Plan .We have sufficient salt stocks to deal with the current weather episode and have received further stocks this week"

The snow plan mentioned is available at: http://www.greenwich.gov.uk/Greenwich/Strategies/TourismAndTransport/Transport/WinterServicePlan.htm

One concern I have is that pavements remain very dangerous. I mentioned on this blog my trek from Woolwich to Eltham before Christmas, and I also slipped over on the way to the station around the same time. Today I've only ventured as far as the local shop, but it was very slippery. The plan shows which roads are "priority one" and which "priority two", which may help you see if your road is supposed to have been gritted. Last night I saw a couple of residents on a road nearby sweeping snow from the pavement outside their own and their neighbours' houses, which made a big difference. They and people doing similar work deserve our sincere gratitute.

The Royal Borough of Greenwich!

The news has just been announced in the House of Lords by Lord Mandelson that Greenwich is to be made a Royal Borough by Her Majesty The Queen to mark her Diamond Jubilee in 2012. It is fantastic news, and I am overjoyed.

Although I had no advance knowledge of the announcement, I have taken a particular interest in this issue over the years since becoming a Councillor, and have suggested several times that we should be a Royal Borough. It is not of course something you can campaign for openly, but it is fair to say I and other colleagues on all sides of the Chamber have been having quiet words in various ears about it. I tabled a motion in 2008 calling on the Council to more fully celebrate our heritage and our Royal links in particular, and was delighted that this was passed unanimously. The Leader of the Council said in his response then that the door was not closed on Royal Borough status, and I am delighted that he took the issue to heart.

An historic day indeed. Absolutely fantastic.

Changes planned for Firepower museum

It wouldn't be a Christmas break without an unexpected interruption, and this year I've been lured away from the leftover party snacks and TV specials by a last-minute item being added to the agenda of the Council's Cabinet Committee tomorrow.

The Royal Artillery Museum in Woolwich ("Firepower") has faced significant funding difficulties for several years, and its operating deficit has been covered with support from the Royal Artillery Regiment and by Greenwich Council.

We have supported these extra cash injections, believing that the museum is an important asset to the Borough, and one which should be preserved (I raised the issue at full Council a couple of months ago when leaked papers suggested funding might be withheld). But we have been clear that the museum needs to widen its appeal and work more closely with the neighbouring Heritage Centre to develop a high-profile "heritage quarter" for the Arsenal site. My personal view is that the maritime history of Woolwich should be a key part of this, particularly with the 500th anniversary of the founding of the Royal Dockyard coming up in 2012.

The papers for tomorrow's meeting include conditions attached to the proposed grant which would require a signifiant shake-up in the way the museum operates, including a change to the "Firepower" branding, a widening of what is on offer and closer working with the heritage centre. So along the right lines, but we need to study the details, and are more than a bit annoyed it has been rushed onto the agenda at such short notice.