"INCOMPETENT amateurs" at the city council have caused the financial problems that could mean curtains for Worcester's Swan Theatre, according to a Worcester MP.

Following a crisis meeting to save the Swan, Mike Foster urged the city council to listen to the people of Worcester and withdraw the threat to cut the theatre's funding.

But leader of the council, Stephen Inman, said the financial problems were inherited from the previous Labour-run council and accused Mr Foster of turning it into a political row.

Mr Foster said there was a groundswell of opinion that the Swan must survive.

"The city council must back down over its threat to cut the funding to the theatre and, in effect, sign its death warrant," he said.

"It would be better for the city council to start pulling back from its intransigent position now and start serious talks with the theatre to cut out all the uncertainty.

"They are in the financial mess, not the Swan, yet it is the theatre that is being punished and it is Worcester that will lose.

Drain away

"Hundreds of thousands of pounds will drain away from the city because of the financial incompetence and short-sightedness of a bunch of self-confessed amateurs. It cannot be allowed to happen.

"I have seen many protest and pressure groups and I immediately recognise that this issue is not going to go away.

"Supporters of the Swan made it clear they are in this fight to win and win they will do because they are in the right over this."

Coun Inman said the council's financial problems were inherited from the previous Labour administration.

"I have seen Michael Foster's comments and I regret this appears now to be a party political dispute," he said.

"But, if that is to be the case, then I would like to know why, when this council was under Labour control, it merely had £54,000 allocated to the Swan Theatre in its main budget and it declined to put the extra £83,000 in as well.

"If the Swan was such a good cause, why did the Labour council not put £137,000 in the main budget?

"They knew there was trouble when they were in control and when they lost control they passed the poisoned chalice on to us."