Dancers stage protest with a difference ahead of city council meeting
DANCE and debate were used by arts groups in Derby to convey their opposition to proposed cuts in cultural funding.
A series of three flashmobs was organised by dance group Déda in the Market Place ahead of a meeting of a Derby City Council last night.
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Déda instructor Chris Caffrey leads dancers in a routine designed as a protest against planned cuts to their funding by Derby City Council.
It was Déda's way of demonstrating against the planned ending of its city council funding by 2015.
Quad arts centre faces a similar fate and the draft budget also includes reductions to the council's own arts group Derby Live.
To the loud soundtrack of You Should Be Dancing by the Bee Gees, people from across Derby gathered for the group dances or "flashmobs" in front of banners calling for the organisation to be saved.
Chris Caffrey, 28, one of the dancers and instructors from Déda, had been teaching people the moves for three weeks ready for the moment.
He said: "We thought a flashmob would be a great way of getting support for the arts and showing what we do and what Déda is about."
Director of Déda, Stephen Munn, said: "We wanted our message to be positive. We didn't want the usual protest and we wanted to keep it positive and happy and show a good side to what we do."
Minutes later, inside the Darwin Suite of the Assembly Rooms, members of various arts groups questioned councillors about how they could justify the proposed budget cuts.
Councillor Hilary Jones, cabinet member for leisure and culture, came under fire from members of the public, including Derby-born jazz artist Corey Mwamba.
He asked how arts in the city could be supported when the council was planning to cut the number of officers employed to help groups to just one.
Mrs Jones said: "We will no longer continue working in all the areas we do currently but we will continue to work with our public, private and voluntary partners to use the resources we do have in the most efficient way."
Her answer did not satisfy the public gallery and similar responses to questions about how the cuts fitted in with the authority's arts strategy met with the same disapproval.
Labour councillor Hardyal Dhindsa called the proposals "destructive and devastating cuts to the arts".
It was the final chance for the public to air their frustrations formally ahead of the budget-setting meeting on December 15, at which no public questions will be taken.
And while Mrs Jones said no decisions on the budget would be made until then, there was already one change announced to the draft spending plan by Councillor Matthew Holmes.
The cabinet member for planning and environment said proposals to cut funding to the climate-change team at the council by £50,000 would no longer go ahead.
9 Comments
by davetaylor2
Friday, November 25 2011, 10:04PM
“B_o_b1
"Surely a question of priorities"
Absolutely B_ob1 !”
by mrclumsy
Friday, November 25 2011, 6:42PM
“DERBY CITY COUNCIL CUT BACKS
Derby City Council is proposing to cut almost £5m from its health and housing budget in a bid to save £27m over the next two years.
The Conservative-led council will also freeze council staff salaries and council tax for the next two years.
The cuts could result in 570 job losses, but that figure was only an estimate, the council said.
The council is losing £17.4m of government funding next year with a further £9.5m being cut in 2012-13.
'Flawed' process
A review of senior management in the city will save £1m next year.
The council has also suggested moving its residential homes for the elderly to the private sector.
The authority said it could not afford the investment needed to bring the current residential homes up to standard.
Council Labour leader Paul Bayliss said the move to buy more services from the private sector was "flawed".
"There is a philosophy in this budget that the council should be enabling and not producing services - and should be buying services from the private sector. We think this philosophy is flawed," he said.
A council spokesman said: "What is clear is that we cannot afford to continue to do everything that we do now but we are confident that we can protect many of our frontline services."
The city's council house refurbishment project would continue because it would cost more to move back into the old accommodation.
Cuts in other city departments include £4m in children's services, £1.5m in the chief executive office and £1.1m in resources which includes back office support.
The proposals must be approved at a full council meeting in March.
THEN SPEND £250k ON A WEB SITE
Derby City Council has been criticised for spending £250,000 on a new website which will be unveiled this autumn.
The council said the new site would provide "excellent value for money" and added its budget was set before spending cuts were announced.
But Labour leader Paul Bayliss said the redesign was "a complete waste of money".
The Conservative-Liberal Democrat run council announced plans in September to make a further 500 redundancies.
Derby City Council revealed the cost of the new website in response to a Freedom of Information request from the BBC.
It said the project's £250,000 budget was set in 2008/09 before budget cuts were imposed by the government.
Nick O'Reilly, the council's IT director, said the investment was good value because it would mean more customers would be able to interact with the authority online.
'Greatest expertise'
Two companies, Erskine and Terminal 4, were awarded the contract to redesign and build the new website.
The council said they were chosen because they had the greatest expertise and could provide value for money.
It said that £240,000 has been spent so far but the full costs would not be known until April 2012.
Nicole Berrisford, branch secretary for trade union Unison, said she had not been aware of the cost of the new website.
She said: "That's quite a lot when we know 500 FTEs (full-time equivalent staff) are going to leave the authority by 31 December."
The website is expected to launch later this year.”
by dianae
Thursday, November 24 2011, 6:08PM
“Thanks for link - really enjoyed it. and B_o_b1 - if it makes you feel any better - just think about fact that these kids won't be retiring until they are 82 and there won't be any day centres for them to go to ...”
by scratchyitup
Thursday, November 24 2011, 1:54PM
“If that was still in the coffers it'd be executive pay rises all round!
I have to admit though, a load of arty types vs the government (and banks) just reminds me of the scene in Indiana Jones where the snakeguy is swinging his swords around and Indy just blows him away!”
by princesspeach
Thursday, November 24 2011, 1:53PM
“This is the Flashmob
http://tinyurl.com/bovyto8”
by B_o_b1
Thursday, November 24 2011, 1:37PM
“Of course it would. Circa £700k would make little difference. If that was still in the coffers there would still be higher priorities than this to use it.”
by LittleoverSim
Thursday, November 24 2011, 12:54PM
“I saw this last night on my way to the meeting - well done for the effort.
At the meeting itself the public questions made me feel like I was in a bathroom because the council replies had plenty of flannel !
@B_o_b1 if the council didnt waste hundreds of grand on a waste site on the West Meadows they dont propose to use then funding for arts etc wouldnt be the issue it is.”
by B_o_b1
Thursday, November 24 2011, 12:29PM
“Surely a question of priorities.
Give the arts all the cash they need, then explain to someone why their day centre is shutting instead - if you did a little jig at the same time, it may win them across. Similarly someone who can't go shopping as their community transport has been cut. Maybe teach them to express their sorrow through the medium of dance instead?”
by dianae
Thursday, November 24 2011, 8:17AM
“Any link to videos appreciated. Does show that deda is capable starting positive action for young people - would we rather be reading about Derby kids rioting?”