Monumental neglect of arch

One has to wonder whether the ruling cabal at Rother District Council are really unreconstituted Maoists in disguise set on a Cultural Revolution that involves the destruction of our ancient history. Such is the abandonment of ancient buildings in Rye by Rother Madame Mao’s Gang of Four would have been proud of their achievements!

We read last week that Rother allots £2,000 (but seemingly fails to spend) per year on the upkeep of Rye’s historic Landgate Arch built in 1381. This money comes from a total annual Monuments Budget of £8,000 for the whole District.

But at the same time Rother has a special annual Not-Quite-So-Ancient-Monument Budget of £500,000 of our Council Tax payments. And each year every last penny of this is spent exclusively on the upkeep of Bexhill’s De La Warr Pavilion which was built in 1935.

Rother Councillor, and Former Chairman, Lord Ampthill said: “There is a very clear need for external funding.” Strangely, in these straightened times, he wasn’t referring to the Bexhill People’s Palace, which is an enormous drain on Rother’s coffers, but Rye’s 633-year-old fragile Arch (built during the Ming Dynasty) which is surely living on borrowed times due to Rother’s neglect.

Andy Stuart

3 West Street, Rye