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HERE TO CHALLENGE! A GUIDE TO WHATS HAPPENING IN LGBT BRIGHTON & HOVE
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Pride Crisis Continues into New Year
By Scott Hart
Dec 31, 2010 - 11:50:28 PM
Dec 31, 2010 - 11:50:28 PM
The Leader of Brighton & Hove Council, Cllr Mary Mears has issued a letter on the deepening crisis regarding who runs Brighton Pride on behalf of the LGBT community next year.
Calabash, The Womens Performance Tent Organisers and Lunch Positive have indicated they will not work with the present organisers of Pride in Brighton & Hove and their production company next year after the charity has lost money and failed to give grants to LGBT voluntary sector
organisations for the last two years and continue to work with a production
company these voluntary sector organisations maintain do not understand the needs of the voluntary sector.
In her letter Cllr Mears said:
“The emergence of an alternative bid for Pride has led sections of the LGBT community to pressure the council to 'take a decision' in regard to next year's event. I feel I need to clear up what the councils role in any event would be.
"Pride is a community celebration, run by a charitable organisation and benefits the entire city. It has never been a council-run event and I think it should remain this way. This means we will not make any decision between competing ideas. As with any proposed event, the council merely considers issues such as licensing, health and safety, planning and similar technical issues on a case by case basis.
“In this case, the council's role is also to unlock the potential for joint working between the various groups who have mutual interests. Pride is the biggest event in the social calendar and brings more business into the city than any similar occasion, as well as giving Brighton & Hove a global platform. More importantly, it provides an opportunity for the LGBT community to come together and celebrate.
"For the sustained future of the event, the reputation of the city and the cohesion of the LGBT community, I would urge all parties to work together.
“There remains enough experience and spirit amongst the LGBT community to enable this and to this end I am happy to broker a meeting of interest parties; including Opposition Councillors and officers to identify a way forward.”
Cllr Gill Mitchell, leader of the Labour group said:
"Cllr Mary Mears' letter completely misses the point in relation to the deep
divisions over the running of next year's Pride. Before rushing to print, the Leader of the Council would have been better advised to get a genuine understanding of the issues and this can only be done by properly listening to those most closely involved."
Cllr Paul Elgood, leader of the Lib Dems said:
“Nobody is asking the council to take on the running of the event, but to make a choice between two very different proposals as to a way forward. The council must show leadership on this matter to secure the future of the event. It would be for the community itself to mediate not the council, whose role is simply to decide who is best placed to run the event and grant landlords consent for the use of Preston Park. Many of us now believe the current status quo or any variation of it is simply not acceptable.”
Gscene Comment
The charity who currently run Pride in Brighton & Hove, has failed the LGBT voluntary sector and breached their charitable objectives by not giving grants to LGBT organisations for the last two years or running a Winter Pride event.
The question everyone should be addressing is where is the charitable aspect of Prides activities?
It is just not good enough to say that Pride, the charity should only give grants to our LGBT organisations from any surplus they make, after throwing what is the biggest party the city stages each year. That is a recipe to lose control of the Pride budget which is what happened this year and is not what the charity was created for.
In the present economic climate which sees the future of all our LGBT organisations at risk, everyone should be addressing first and foremost the needs of our voluntary sector groups.
The Council has a simple role to play in unlocking any disputes between the rival bids. The Council gives landlords consent for the use of Preston Park. They should do that on the basis of who they feel is best placed to deliver a safe, diverse Pride that has the support of the majority of the LGBT community. No more, no less.
The councils own de-brief document following this years event said:
"Pride cannot continue in its present format." adding "Both the Police and Fire Service had indicated that they would raise objections if the event plan is presented to them in the same format."
There has never been any question of the Council being asked to run Pride but there is a responsibility on the local authority to do everything in its power to bring this dispute to as quick a resolution as possible to safeguard cohesion within the LGBT community.
Cameron's 'Big Society' is about encouraging the voluntary sector to find new ways of helping itself.
Three major LGBT community organisations who ran the main attractions on Preston Park this year have made it clear to senior council officers they have found working with the present organisers of Pride and their production company impossible and do not intend to work with them next year.
They have developed in partnership with two commercial organisations who have ten years of experience in delivering safe Brighton Prides a new bid for community consultation and in doing so have negotiated a substantial financial package that will GUARANTEE ring fenced funds to LGBT organisations next year. It is a win win situation for everyone and will be delivered from within a 'not for profit' organisation.
These community groups are showing leadership and the Council and senior officers have a responsibility to take what they are saying seriously.
In the present economic climate I find it obscene that any charitable organisation is considering lavishing £300,000 on an eight hour party on Preston Park in August without concrete GUARANTEES of funding for our LGBT voluntary sector in return.
The Gscene view is that Pride in Brighton & Hove, the charity, has lost the confidence of many in the LGBT community in Brighton & Hove and the appointment of new trustees who have not been elected but appointed by the outgoing Trustees who through their decisions have left the charity in its present mess has not brought key LGBT stakeholders back on board or improved confidence in the charity.
Last year Brighton & Hove Council refused to consider a rescue package for Preston Park on Pride Saturday and a new Sunday event on Madeira Drive that would have removed all financial risks from Pride organisers and would have guaranteed money for LGBT voluntary sector organisations.
The Council considered the events to be in competition with Pride and said NO, so there is a precedent for a decision being taken by the council for the use of council land in these circumstances.
Whoever the decision goes to it might be possible to rally community support behind that bid, however the present position of the council to sit on the fence, a similar position they took when the community last reclaimed their Pride in the early 2000s is just not acceptable anymore.
Left unresolved, the community and the city will lose the event through neither bid having enough time to proceed to a full festival and Brighton will lose the cities biggest diversity event of the year.
We elect our politicians to make decisions. The time has come for them all to show their cards and help stop the pain continuing.
Calabash, The Womens Performance Tent Organisers and Lunch Positive have indicated they will not work with the present organisers of Pride in Brighton & Hove and their production company next year after the charity has lost money and failed to give grants to LGBT voluntary sector
organisations for the last two years and continue to work with a production
company these voluntary sector organisations maintain do not understand the needs of the voluntary sector.
|
“The emergence of an alternative bid for Pride has led sections of the LGBT community to pressure the council to 'take a decision' in regard to next year's event. I feel I need to clear up what the councils role in any event would be.
"Pride is a community celebration, run by a charitable organisation and benefits the entire city. It has never been a council-run event and I think it should remain this way. This means we will not make any decision between competing ideas. As with any proposed event, the council merely considers issues such as licensing, health and safety, planning and similar technical issues on a case by case basis.
“In this case, the council's role is also to unlock the potential for joint working between the various groups who have mutual interests. Pride is the biggest event in the social calendar and brings more business into the city than any similar occasion, as well as giving Brighton & Hove a global platform. More importantly, it provides an opportunity for the LGBT community to come together and celebrate.
"For the sustained future of the event, the reputation of the city and the cohesion of the LGBT community, I would urge all parties to work together.
“There remains enough experience and spirit amongst the LGBT community to enable this and to this end I am happy to broker a meeting of interest parties; including Opposition Councillors and officers to identify a way forward.”
|
"Cllr Mary Mears' letter completely misses the point in relation to the deep
divisions over the running of next year's Pride. Before rushing to print, the Leader of the Council would have been better advised to get a genuine understanding of the issues and this can only be done by properly listening to those most closely involved."
|
“Nobody is asking the council to take on the running of the event, but to make a choice between two very different proposals as to a way forward. The council must show leadership on this matter to secure the future of the event. It would be for the community itself to mediate not the council, whose role is simply to decide who is best placed to run the event and grant landlords consent for the use of Preston Park. Many of us now believe the current status quo or any variation of it is simply not acceptable.”
Gscene Comment
The charity who currently run Pride in Brighton & Hove, has failed the LGBT voluntary sector and breached their charitable objectives by not giving grants to LGBT organisations for the last two years or running a Winter Pride event.
The question everyone should be addressing is where is the charitable aspect of Prides activities?
It is just not good enough to say that Pride, the charity should only give grants to our LGBT organisations from any surplus they make, after throwing what is the biggest party the city stages each year. That is a recipe to lose control of the Pride budget which is what happened this year and is not what the charity was created for.
In the present economic climate which sees the future of all our LGBT organisations at risk, everyone should be addressing first and foremost the needs of our voluntary sector groups.
The Council has a simple role to play in unlocking any disputes between the rival bids. The Council gives landlords consent for the use of Preston Park. They should do that on the basis of who they feel is best placed to deliver a safe, diverse Pride that has the support of the majority of the LGBT community. No more, no less.
The councils own de-brief document following this years event said:
"Pride cannot continue in its present format." adding "Both the Police and Fire Service had indicated that they would raise objections if the event plan is presented to them in the same format."
There has never been any question of the Council being asked to run Pride but there is a responsibility on the local authority to do everything in its power to bring this dispute to as quick a resolution as possible to safeguard cohesion within the LGBT community.
Cameron's 'Big Society' is about encouraging the voluntary sector to find new ways of helping itself.
Three major LGBT community organisations who ran the main attractions on Preston Park this year have made it clear to senior council officers they have found working with the present organisers of Pride and their production company impossible and do not intend to work with them next year.
They have developed in partnership with two commercial organisations who have ten years of experience in delivering safe Brighton Prides a new bid for community consultation and in doing so have negotiated a substantial financial package that will GUARANTEE ring fenced funds to LGBT organisations next year. It is a win win situation for everyone and will be delivered from within a 'not for profit' organisation.
These community groups are showing leadership and the Council and senior officers have a responsibility to take what they are saying seriously.
In the present economic climate I find it obscene that any charitable organisation is considering lavishing £300,000 on an eight hour party on Preston Park in August without concrete GUARANTEES of funding for our LGBT voluntary sector in return.
The Gscene view is that Pride in Brighton & Hove, the charity, has lost the confidence of many in the LGBT community in Brighton & Hove and the appointment of new trustees who have not been elected but appointed by the outgoing Trustees who through their decisions have left the charity in its present mess has not brought key LGBT stakeholders back on board or improved confidence in the charity.
Last year Brighton & Hove Council refused to consider a rescue package for Preston Park on Pride Saturday and a new Sunday event on Madeira Drive that would have removed all financial risks from Pride organisers and would have guaranteed money for LGBT voluntary sector organisations.
The Council considered the events to be in competition with Pride and said NO, so there is a precedent for a decision being taken by the council for the use of council land in these circumstances.
Whoever the decision goes to it might be possible to rally community support behind that bid, however the present position of the council to sit on the fence, a similar position they took when the community last reclaimed their Pride in the early 2000s is just not acceptable anymore.
Left unresolved, the community and the city will lose the event through neither bid having enough time to proceed to a full festival and Brighton will lose the cities biggest diversity event of the year.
We elect our politicians to make decisions. The time has come for them all to show their cards and help stop the pain continuing.
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