Tories and Labour let down the people of Beverley with Sale of Playhouse
March 8th 2004

35 Councillors, all Labour and Conservative, voted in favour of selling the Beverley Picture Playhouse off to the highest bidder with the proceeds from the sale being earmarked and ringfenced for the refurbishment of Beverley Memorial Hall.



These 35 included the three Labour Councillors from Beverley who were members of the Memorial Hall Committee and in effect they voted this Committee the money from the sale. Whether they should have been able to vote or not in the circumstances was questioned by Independent Cllr Mike Guest and Liberal Democrat Cllr John Bird. A senior officer at the council said that it was in order for these Memorial Hall Committee Cllrs to vote.

28 councillors voted against the sale of the Playhouse. These were all the Liberal Democrats, Independents and the two Social Democrats. This vote took place after John Bird, Liberal Democrat Councillor for Beverley St Mary’s, had proposed that the sale be deferred for six months while officers explored the cost of refurbishing the Playhouse and looked for possible funding. Cllr Bird’s amendment was defeated by 35 votes to 26. (Two of the Independent Cllrs abstained on this vote).

Deferring the sale for six months would also have enabled proper consultation to take place and would have seemed the common-sense answer. We are very sorry indeed that this is not what happened.

Our photo shows Cllr John Bird (on the left) with Playhouse Campaigner Mr. Mark Elvidge outside the Beverley Playhouse.