CROYDON COMMENTARY: Readers have reacted with equal amounts of disgust and dismay at the on-going revelations of hundreds of thousands of pounds of public money squandered by the shambolic Borough of Culture – where fewer than 500 people downloaded the Music Heritage Trial’s app.
Here, PAULA GOODWIN offers an insider’s take on the council’s arts steering group, questions the grant-allocation process, and explains why she felt forced to quit

I was initially part of the steering group for the Borough of Culture, I had high hopes of a real boost for Croydon and its cultural groups. I was to be severely disappointed.

Brassed off: the Croydon Symphonic Band is one of the groups where Paula Goodwin plays

When the steering group first met, already several months behind schedule, we went around introducing ourselves. I was staggered to find that it seemed that I was the only person working in any type of cultural organisation voluntarily. Further, it seemed that I was the only member of a non-professional arts group present.

I have to add that I was not asked to attend as the conductor of the Croydon Brass Band, nor as the principal bass at the Croydon Symphonic Band, nor as a well-known local musician. I was asked as a representative of Croydon Pride.

This is indicative of the contempt that has been shown for Croydon’s dynamic, flourishing amateur arts scene right from the beginning.

The administration of Croydon’s Borough of Culture has been poor and under-resourced, the public engagement has been poor and the only successful events have tended to be those that would have happened anyway.

Trite: the Borough of Culture handed £50,000 of arts cash to a business group for plastic giraffes

The bidding process felt as though it was designed to exclude amateur groups, and was often too late to allow for successful projects happening within the desired timescales.

I began to get the impression that the steering group were set on ensuring that as much of the available funding as possible was retained in the professional arts groups represented on the group.

I became so exasperated with the whole process that I stopped attending these meetings in January this year, after what felt like hundreds of hours wasted time and thousands of pounds of lost income.

Every meeting was held during work hours, and being self-employed I lost income each day I spent on this group!

While I have been very disappointed by the outcomes so far, I am not surprised. Right from the beginning the group has failed the address the question “What do we mean by culture?”, and has done nothing to celebrate or boost the best of what is happening in Croydon.

I had such high hopes for this year.

• Paula Goodwin is the Director of Music for the Allegra Concert Band. Since 2010, she has been the conductor of the Croydon Brass Band

Read more: £250 per day fees paid to lead on borough’s Heritage Trail
Read more: BID’s brass neck over plastic giraffes, as only 1,000 used app
Read more: GLA has few checks on how £1.3m Culture grant is being spent

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