Indoor idea for Darwen Live hits wrong note councillors

10:00pm Friday 8th February 2013 in Darwen

THE former leader of Darwen Town Council has hit out at councillors after he claimed that suggestions he made about Darwen Live were ignored.

Steve Duncan attended the council’s meeting this week and suggested a number of ways he thought the council could save cash at the festival.

Mr Duncan paid tribute at the meeting to deputy chairman Coun Trevor Maxfield for keeping the festival alive following the borough council’s decision to slash its funding.

He also suggested that the outdoor stage should be scrapped and instead the festival be played out at a number of indoor venues.

Later, he explained: “By looking at holding the event over a number of inside premises such as the leisure centre, Library Theatre, Darwen Academy, large pubs and social clubs, the event would benefit from a number of savings.

“Those would include the stage, security, toilets, policing, cleaning up and road closures.

“These costs probably represent some 70 to 75 per cent of the total costs.

“I was really disappointed with the response to my suggestions.”

Coun Maxfield said: “The police insist on one big stage and there has to be separate security for extra events.

“Pubs in the area do benefit from local bands who play while the event is on.

“Also, there would be no sponsor if there was no main stage.”

Comments(12)

hasslem hasslem says...
12:26am Sat 9 Feb 13

organisers and police decide what is most appropriate for festival and don't take on somebody else's suggestion......can someone tell me how this is a story?

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happycyclist says...
9:17am Sat 9 Feb 13

hasslem hasslem wrote:
organisers and police decide what is most appropriate for festival and don't take on somebody else's suggestion......can someone tell me how this is a story?
It's a story because reducing costs by 70% and having no road closures might appeal to a lot of people.
Personally I like it as it is, but not everyone will.

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hasslem hasslem says...
9:35am Sat 9 Feb 13

happycyclist wrote:
hasslem hasslem wrote:
organisers and police decide what is most appropriate for festival and don't take on somebody else's suggestion......can someone tell me how this is a story?
It's a story because reducing costs by 70% and having no road closures might appeal to a lot of people.
Personally I like it as it is, but not everyone will.
no, it won't - still bands to pay for and sponsorship which helps cover costs lost and there will be no headline act or culmination of event - lower turnout etc

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happycyclist says...
10:59am Sat 9 Feb 13

Sorry, I didn't make my point clear -I meant that the people who might like the idea would be those who didn't like Darwen Live and would rather it be stopped altogether.

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louderfasterlonger says...
11:43am Sat 9 Feb 13

Firstly, Darwen Live has NOT had its funding cut. Secondly, former cllr Duncan's suggestion of using DACA and the Leisure centre were tried last year and were a FAIL as DACA didnt want to get involved and the accoustics in the Leisure Centre were awful.
Thirdly, the Library Theatre is fully utilised every year.
Darwen Live becomes more successful year on year and has been built from the ground up, originally by some entrepreneurial locals as an outside stage.
More Bands, more locals and more venues are getting involved.
Why would we want to change a thing ?

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Excluded again says...
8:29pm Sat 9 Feb 13

Darwen Music Live has been successful - and growing - for 12 years. It brings huge amounts of people and trade into Darwen on Spring bank Holiday weekend.

So let's completely change its main focus on the basis of one bloke's suggestion based (so far as I can see) on zero evidence. Sounds like a plan - for disaster.

Well done to the Councillors on Darwen Town Council for having some common sense.

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2 for 5p says...
4:24am Sun 10 Feb 13

Excluded again wrote:
Darwen Music Live has been successful - and growing - for 12 years. It brings huge amounts of people and trade into Darwen on Spring bank Holiday weekend.

So let's completely change its main focus on the basis of one bloke's suggestion based (so far as I can see) on zero evidence. Sounds like a plan - for disaster.

Well done to the Councillors on Darwen Town Council for having some common sense.
ITS A WASTE OF MONEY.
QUOTE:
Excluded again wrote about for 12 years bringing lots of people and trade to darwen during spring bank holiday.

Well let the shop keepers and the pub landlords foot the bill, because no one else benefits from it.

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Excluded again says...
7:03am Sun 10 Feb 13

Shops, cafes and pubs do not stay open by relying on charitable donations. They need customers coming through the doors and spending money.

An event which brings thousands of people into Darwen town centre for three days on what used to be a quiet weekend helps keep businesses going. Which supports local jobs.

And, of course, the thousands of people who attend the event benefit.

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Chico! says...
7:14am Sun 10 Feb 13

2 for 5p wrote:
Excluded again wrote:
Darwen Music Live has been successful - and growing - for 12 years. It brings huge amounts of people and trade into Darwen on Spring bank Holiday weekend.

So let's completely change its main focus on the basis of one bloke's suggestion based (so far as I can see) on zero evidence. Sounds like a plan - for disaster.

Well done to the Councillors on Darwen Town Council for having some common sense.
ITS A WASTE OF MONEY.
QUOTE:
Excluded again wrote about for 12 years bringing lots of people and trade to darwen during spring bank holiday.

Well let the shop keepers and the pub landlords foot the bill, because no one else benefits from it.
You're a waste of carbon.

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sean_brfc says...
11:55am Sun 10 Feb 13

You've been ignored because it's quite simply an awful idea. Get over it!

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joblogs1 says...
8:50pm Sun 10 Feb 13

This event should not be exclusively supported by the council tax payer! I am not saying that support should be fully pulled right now but in this current financial climate events such as Darwen Live should look into other funding avenues to sustain and even make this into an event that is self sustaining. It should have it public funding reduced year on year and the organisers find sponsors or commercial opportunities and even lottery bids to fill this. Lets put it this way, the local pubs and clubs are packed out and it most be extremely profitable for them and should financially support this. Maybe the local brewery would possibly want to be the main sponsor of the event due to the amount of money they must make from it which will help keep the outdoor stage.

The event is now firmly establish and attracts thousands of visitors to the local area but there must be a way to make this a break even event and not to cost the tax payer.

If the organizers don’t look at this as a warning sign and look at alternative commercial avenues I am sad to say this event will decline and may even finish like other similar events around the country.

I hope it doesn’t because I think it’s great for the local artists to have an opportunity to play to large crowds and is a great weekend for Darwen but I think the writing is on the wall unless the organizers change their financial approach.

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Councillor Duncan says...
9:05pm Sun 10 Feb 13

(former councillor) FACT - the Borough Council used to totally fund this event costing in excess of £45k. For the past few years Cllr Maxfield has successfully run this event with reduced funding from the Borough with the deficit made up from darwen Town Council funds.
FACT - some 60%+ of the costs go out of the town spent on staging, security, toilets etc. I am fully supportive of Darwen Live - all I suggested was that there may be ways of holding the event indoors across a number of venues, each catering for a different stlye of music which could save money, spread the 'wealth' further afield and not be potentialy ruined by bad weather.
Surely in these times of tough economic decisions when people are looking at cutting aid to the elderly, reducing hours at sports halls etc it is at least worthy of consideration

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