Council and gallery refuse to say how much has been raised for new arts facility

12.00.00am GMT Wed 17th Jan 2007

Colchester Borough Council and the art gallery backers of the town's £16.5 million Visual Arts Facility have refused to say how much - if anything! - has been donated towards the £2.5 million from fundraising on which the financial package to build the VAF has been based.

Both the Council and "first:site" - who run The Minories art gallery and will be in charge of the VAF - have refused requests from Colchester MP Bob Russell who had asked both of them how much had been raised towards the £2.5 million target.

Today Mr Russell said he was deeply concerned that the information was being kept secret. "I can only assume that if all the money had been raised, or at least a substantial part, then the promoters of the VAF would not have been slow in coming forward to announce this.

"But the VAF promoters have no need to worry. Even if they fail to raise a penny, the Council has already agreed to pick up any shortfall in the construction costs - without any legal requirement on the VAF promoters to compensate the public purse for the Council's generosity."

Mr David Grocott, Press Officer for "first:site", has written written to Mr Russell saying: "I regret that I do not hold the information you require."

Mr Russell said that it was not only the public who were being kept in the dark, for he had discovered that even Borough Councillors are not aware of what is going on.

"I am told that progress of fundraising activity is not regularly reported to all 60 Borough Councillors. However, I am told that the latest update on the fundraising activity was presented to a body known as the Partnership Board on 19th December. Surely it must be a matter of public interest for this information to be shared with all the democratically elected Councillors, and also the people of Colchester whose Council Tax bills will be subsidising the VAF?"

Mr Russell added that he had now asked the Council to let him know who the members of the Partnership Board are.

The Visual Arts Facility is currently being built on the site of the town's former Bus Station. There was considerable public opposition to its closure.