The Rich Mix Cultural Centre has announced that it is setting up a new contemporary Asian Club night – further blurring the debate about whether the venue is a subsidised local arts venue or a commercial venture.
The first club night event was on 12th December and featured Dhol Foundation, DJ Rekha and Bobby Friction. Ticket cost £10 in advance (£12 on the door) – a small fortune to many of the Borough’s young residents.
Rich Mix proclaims itself to be “East London’s independent arts venue”. It is a charity, which acknowledges that it receives public funding from the Arts Council England. However, its pricing policy makes it less than accessible to many of the borough’s residents. It also admits that it receives funding from the Esme Fairbairn Foundation, which is a private source of funding which many voluntary sector organisations have turned to when they have had their public funding cut.
The Rich Mix benefited earlier this year when John Biggs wrote off a substantial loan which the Council had made to the Rich Mix some years earlier and which the arts centre had not repaid. This was a controversial move for two reasons. First, Biggs had pledged to write off the loan before he was elected – and, therefore, before he had had a chance to consider the position from the Council’s point of view. Second, at the time when John Biggs wrote the loan off, the Government had already taken away the Mayor’s grant-making powers. In what sense is writing off a loan different from making a grant? Following this precedent, all sorts of community groups in the borough could argue that they should be given loans and then not have to repay them as an alternative to going through the scrutiny of the grants process.
Perhaps John Biggs will one day remember his commitment to transparency and will explain the contradictions of his actions. In the meantime, the Rich Mix has yet to announce further dates for the Club Night.
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