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SIR - The Tower Arts saga continues. Once again the Winchester public have been let down and misled by the county council, this time with the connivance of Winchester City Council.

Last December, in the face of significant public opposition, the county approved the transfer of the Tower to Kings' School.

This removed a valuable asset and £125,000 of annual funding to community arts.

A county council press statement stated that "the council is committing £75,000 over the next three years to develop a mixed evening programme of performing arts at the Tower and other venues across the city. This will be matched by Winchester City Council".

County council leader Ken Thornber added: "The resources we have committed, together with the city council, will ensure the continuation of an evening programme focussing initially on the Tower".

Reasonable people interpreted this to mean £50,000 pa funding for three years for mixed evening programming, initially focussed at the Tower.

A significant shortfall on previous funding, but at least some recognition of the public outcry.

The deal agreed last week means that the county council, aided and abetted by the city council, has broken commitments on three grounds: 1. Both local authorities committed to dialogue with existing Tower users on the development of the evening programme. This has not occurred, the deal has now been approved and the Autumn programme at the Tower has now been released.

2. The deal falls significantly short of the £50,000 pa commitment to a mixed evening programme. In fact, it only guarantees £15,000 to the Discovery Centre. A further £15,000 has been committed to the Tower for 2008/9 to fund "public events" and (bizarrely) the promotion and subsidy to Kings' School of the participatory classes.

3. Less than 50per cent of the £50,000 funding will go to the Tower - contradicting Cllr Thornber's commitment of an initial focus at the Tower.

I personally feel let down and misled by both local authorities.

I find city council leader Cllr George Beckett's comment (Chronicle, July 10) that this is a "good news story" particularly offensive.

Alistair Marsden, Stanmore Lane, Winchester.

9:28am Thursday 17th July 2008

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