Eastbourne action group not happy with ‘drastically reduced’ budget to repair bandstand

Money set aside to repair the bandstand in Eastbourne will be have a short term ‘sticking plaster’ effect, campaigners say.
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Last week Eastbourne Borough Council explained the delay in repairing the bandstand and where previous money set aside for the attraction had gone.

Now the action group which formed to save the bandstand has responded to the council statement.

Eastbourne Bandstand (Pic by Jon Rigby) SUS-220126-123840001Eastbourne Bandstand (Pic by Jon Rigby) SUS-220126-123840001
Eastbourne Bandstand (Pic by Jon Rigby) SUS-220126-123840001
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This comes after the group were at the site this weekend (February 5-6) for members of the public to come and share their views, join the group, and sign the petition which currently has nearly 3,000 signatures (as of Monday, February 7).

On February 17 the group will also be holding a public meeting at The Cumberland Hotel at 7pm.

The action group spokesperson stressed the campaign isn’t political and it has ‘one purpose only, to see the bandstand repaired, restored and reopened’.

She said, “We have been overwhelmed by the thousands of people who have pledged their support and we have been happy to coordinate the amazing response. There has been considerable disappointment and anger at the closure.

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“It is important to make our views known to the council, they are responsible for the bandstand after all.”

The group pointed out how the budget for the repairs has been ‘drastically reduced’ as now there is £750,000 being spent on it, subject to full council approval on February 23, despite £3m being set aside in 2020.

The council spokesperson said the country was put into lockdown a week after this £3m was set aside so that changed things.

The spokesperson said, “Our income from tourism stopped overnight, at the same time that our spending soared as we prioritised support for the most vulnerable in Eastbourne. A reset of our capital programme was required.

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“The capital programme is not money we have in the bank but money that we borrow for major works and can be repaid from our revenue, but the loss of income as a result of the lockdown impacted greatly on this, hence the need for a reset.”

The group said £750,000 would only be a ‘sticking plaster’ to deal with the problems and would mean the site would have to be shut down again soon enough for further repairs.

The spokesperson said, “The council has chosen to be responsible for the bandstand, recognising it as a great revenue generator, they are therefore responsible for the maintenance of this beautiful, historic listed building which brings so much pleasure to all who visit.

“They have for many years neglected their duty and consequently, despite warnings, the much-loved bandstand has fallen into disrepair.

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“The closure will have a detrimental impact on tourism and businesses in the town. Many thousands of visitors come to Eastbourne just to enjoy a show or listen to a band at the bandstand.”

The group has met with councillors about the issue because members stress they want to ‘work with the council, not against it’.

However, the group said it was ‘not satisfied’ with the response it got from councillors. This month the council will meet to discuss the budget and the action group wants councillors to ‘consider the views of the people they represent’.

MP Caroline Ansell has also shared how unhappy she is the bandstand is to ‘remain in deep freeze’.

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She said, “I am very unhappy the borough council’s inaction to date means another silent summer at the Bandstand and with only the minimum to be spent when the full amount to bring it back to its former glory was supposed to be already earmarked.

“The bandstand’s plight is a sorry story. I raised its condition as a cause for concern when I was a councillor. I was told then that all necessary works were planned and in hand.

“It is another blow to tourism on which so many local jobs and services rely and the rationale behind it does not seem to hold water.”

Eastbourne council bosses said it would be a ‘waste of money’ to spend millions of pounds on fixing the town’s bandstand before the Environment Agency’s £100m coastal flood defence project is nailed down.

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Mrs Ansell added, “I have spoken with the Environment Agency (EA) to gauge whether there needs to be a delay in the bandstand work pending their sea defence project design.

“The reply was unequivocal. The EA’s final business case for the Pevensey Bay to Eastbourne Coastal Management scheme will not be submitted until 2025. This, I was told, is the earliest possible date that any construction activities can start across the entire project. It is the EA’s opinion that it would be unlikely to see any immediate flood defence works at the Eastbourne Bandstand in any initial phase of the project.

“In light of this information from the EA, I have written to the council to ask for the technical reports or briefings which have led them to believe the wider work at the bandstand should be halted. If it is more the case that the council simply cannot afford the work to bring the bandstand up to scratch, it should be upfront and open about it.

“I have also spoken with the heritage and tourism minister Nigel Huddleston, who visited Eastbourne last summer, for signposting to potential funding in an attempt to see some progress and because no matter what the local politics are, I will continue to support my home town at every turn.”

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The council spokesperson said, “The Environment Agency has confirmed very clearly and on a number of occasions, that it does not know how exactly the £100 million flood defence works will impact on the Bandstand. Their team is developing project options that will be assessed in due course.

“It is not a secret that following the loss in income during the covid lockdowns, the council cannot afford the wider works this year and given the Environment Agency project, it would be a precarious and potentially reckless use of public money for the council to commit millions of pounds to the Bandstand before the plans are confirmed. Once we have these, we will be in a position to schedule the work necessary to restore the Bandstand to its former glory, incorporating any requirements that the Environment Agency might identify.

“The Environment Agency has also confirmed that the Bandstand sits at the flood defence level of the existing shingle beach, this means it is at severe risk of flooding. This level of risk will only increase as time progresses.

“We are spending £750,000 over the coming months to ensure a reopening of the Bandstand in 2023 and are committed to maintaining this important venue for many years to come.

“Any suggestions to the contrary are false.”