Council ‘no’ to plea for £40,000 grant

Council ‘no’ to plea for £40,000 grant

21 January 2015

DOWN Council has rejected a request for £40,000 from the St Patrick Centre to complete urgent repair work at its multi-million pound visitor complex.

Local politicians say they cannot afford the one-off payment for the capital works as the amount has not been budgeted for and they are not prepared to dip into their financial reserves to help out.

Politicians have decided to refer the £40,000 funding request to the new Newry, Mourne and Down Council which will be officially launched in April. The funding request was also briefly mentioned at yesterday’s meeting of the shadow council’s finance committee which was discussing next year’s rates rise.

Members of Down Council’s Strategic Policy and Resources Committee were told on Monday night that government support for plans to spend around £233,000 on the St. Patrick Centre building and an upgrade of the audio-visual equipment is no longer available.

As a result of the funding setback, the Centre is planning to carry out emergency work required to the fabric of the building and to maintain the existing exhibition.

In a letter to councillors, Mr. John Carson, the chairman of the centre, explained the exhibition requires “essential” audio visual and control system upgrades before the tourist season begins in March.

He said the centre has already funded up to £25,000 of essential repairs, representing 40 per cent of the overall works. Mr. Carson said the £40,000 funding request to Down Council was to complete the remainder of the urgent capital works.

Briefing councillors on Monday night, council Director, Canice O’Rourke, explained the visitor centre had been expecting “significant government investment which has disappeared.” He issued a reminder while the original funding request had been discussed by the full council, it had been referred to the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee for decision.

Councillor Walter Lyons said the funding request should be forwarded to the new super council as Down Council had not budgeted for the money the St. Patrick Centre is seeking. He said the visitor centre “will be to the new council’s benefit” and therefore it should deal with the matter.

Councillor Éamonn Mac Con Midhe said Down Council has “continually tried to help” the St. Patrick Centre by setting visitor number targets when it has received financial support from the local authority.

“Every time the Centre fails it comes back for more money. The more it fails the more money we give them. It is okay to see this is a visitor attraction but it is not a popular one,” he said.

“We do have money in our reserves but what if other issues crop up? The St. Patrick Centre is not our responsibility and still owes Down Council £80,000.”

Councillor Stephen Burns agreed the funding request should be forwarded to the new super council for consideration, arguing it was not for Down Council to decide the issue given that it was “100 days away from a new council” which, he suggested, may look at a new operational model for the St. Patrick Centre.

Requests from councillors John Doris and Dermot Curran that the council should meet with the St. Patrick Centre management board during Monday night’s meeting to discuss its funding request were rejected.

Councillor Doris said he thought it important councillors spoke with officials from the visitor centre “to be clear in their own minds what exactly they were being asked for.”

It was also confirmed at Monday’s night’s council meeting that the St. Patrick Centre’s new business plan has been forward to the current Newry Mourne and Down shadow council which goes live on April 1.

The Director of the St. Patrick Centre said the complex had attracted over 700 coach visits last year in its busiest year ever and that the number “was only going to increase in 2015.”

Dr. Tim Campbell said the number of visitors to the facility played an essential part in “helping put Downpatrick on the international tourist map” but explained the Centre needs to be able to have the facilities to cope with this growing demand.”

He added: “We look forward to continue working with and co-operating with Down Council and the new Newry, Mourne and Down Council.

“The Centre is committed to maintaining and updating this important tourist facility which attracts many visitors to Downpatrick, providing a benefit to the town and the region.”