The first official Winter Gardens Management Committee takes place this coming Monday (29th June 7pm) in the Lower Meeting Room of the Winter Gardens.
During the meeting, which follows the TC and Plans Committee, the new chairman, Cllr David George will be presenting an interim report of his findings since being elected to the post just under two weeks ago.
Regular followers of VTC meetings will be well aware of Cllr George’s passion to make sure that this valuable resource for Ventnor is utilised in the best possible way for the town.
Chairman’s statement
Upon receiving his appointment at the meeting on the 15th June, Cllr George made a brief statement regarding his role and what he intended to achieve in his time as Chairman.
Having had a tour of the building and insight into the management of it, Cllr George told his fellow councillors that he saw his role as a matter of ‘crisis management’, he acknowledged that ‘although systems had improved, there was still a great deal of work to do.’
He went on to say that he’d cleared his diary for three mornings a week for the next two months to work through the problems at the Winter Gardens.
No public exclusions
This is something close to Cllr George’s heart, a subject that he’d previously raised many times as a member of the public. As chairman of the committee he stated that he thought there should be no exclusions be made to the public at WGMC meetings unless absolutely necessary.
He also asked that a sub-committee be formed. It was suggested by the Town Clerk that this item be raised at the next formal committee meeting on the 29th June and we look forward to hearing more about that on Monday.
Cllr George stated that there was a need for a diverse and exciting programme for the venue to be provided for the entire community include residents and holiday-makers to include music, film, theatre, ballet, comedy, opera a gallery, etc. He told the TC that it was one of the things he heard most on the doorsteps when cavassing for the elections and intended to take this forward.
Training and CRB checks
With a background in making films about health and safety and child protection, Cllr George is well versed on the importance of these areas.
He acknowledged the role of the volunteers and that they are essential to the running of the building but made it clear that they need to have clear guidelines and their job descriptions clarified. He went on to say that training, including child protection training is essential.
We are aware that Cllr George has thrown himself into the role over the last two weeks and look forward to sitting in on the first official meeting of the committee on Monday.
