MAY I correct all those campaigning for The Swan Theatre when they refer to "grant cut or grant reduction". There is no grant reduction or cut.

Four years ago the city council agreed to give the Swan £83,000 in addition to their standard grant of £54,000. This was to be for a period of three years. I emphasise, the Swan Theatre grant is £54,000 per year, not £137,000.

If the (Labour) council of the day intended the additional grant to carry on beyond the three years they had the option to incorporate it into the grant and make it part of the base grant. They chose not to adopt this course of action!

The fact that the Conservative administration generously granted an additional year does not make it a grant ad infinitum.

By means of an automatic process the additional grant of £83,000 should have ceased in 2001 but was extended to 2002. It is my understanding of the position that all at the theatre were aware of this grant was for three years and for anyone there to say different is somewhat disingenuous.

As I stated, last year the council very generously extended that additional grant for a further year. There was no commitment beyond the one-year and the theatre knew that and in fact should have been preparing over the last four years for the day the additional grant ceased!

Change of management structures, working practices and the need to make economies happen in all walks of life, why should The Swan be different.

To put it in some sort of perspective, the theatre has had over half-a-million pounds of council taxpayers money over the past four years, £548,000 to be exact. This, I would contend, is generous by any standards. It is therefore not a cut but merely reverting to the status quo of four years ago.

The council now find itself in the position of having to review it's spending and prioritise financial outlay. We find we can no longer continue with the generous enhanced funding to The Swan.

I do however give a solemn undertaking to Mr Foster, who is campaigning on behalf of the Swan:

If you persuade Mr Brown to give Worcester city a Revenue Support Grant in line with the extra demands your government has placed on the city, and get the city a refund of the additional burden that the increase in National Insurance contributions has cost the council taxpayers I will do my utmost to get my colleagues to agree to extra funding in addition to the base grant of £54,000 for the theatre.

COUN IAN IMRAY,

St Martin Ward, Worcester.