If you didn’t read Mark Compton-Hall’s report of last weeks Ventnor Town Council meeting, you will have missed the rather direct quote from Councillor Buster Bartlett.
We’re sure that most of you will have seen the countless mentions in the County Press that the Jazz Office has attracted with regard to the apparent non payment of artists and suppliers for the Jazz Festival and Folk and Blues Festival, both held in Ventnor this year.
The latest creditor to be added to the Jazz Office’s list is the Winter Gardens, whom they owe £800 for hire of the venue during the Folk and Blues Festival.
Councillor Bartlett was pretty angry about the non-payment, particularly as the Town Council has been very supportive of the Jazz Festival over previous years and this is not the first time he has spoken out against them.
His concern was on the long term impact on the public’s perception of Ventnor.
His rather frank response to the situation was to say “Sue the buggers”.
Councillor Robbie Mew raised concerns about wasting money on solicitors in order to chase the £800 owed. This could however, be pursued through the Small Claims Court avoiding expensive legal bills. For anyone interested in how the Town Council will take this further, the matter will be discussed at the next Winter Gardens meeting on Monday 26 November.
It was reiterated during the discussions that the festival organisers would not be able to book the venue for use again without payment in advance.
The Future of The Festival
Despite the reporting of financial problems surrounding the Jazz Festival, it has, over the years, proved itself to be good thing for our town.
Let’s hope that these recent activities do not undo the hard work that the whole town has put into making the event a success and perhaps Marcia Forsyth-Grant’s suggestion in The Chronicle on 1 November of passing the baton over to someone else, while the disputes are resolved, is a possibility. [Image courtesy of Isle of Wight County Press]
