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Museum facing budget overspend
MAIDSTONE Museum is still struggling to make ends meet, in spite of its hugely successful sum- mer exhibition. Brick City was a popular attrac-
tion throughout the school holi- days, with people of all ages getting involved in building and creating items out of Lego. But even with an annual budget
of almost £260,000, excluding staff costs, Maidstone Council expects the museum to have overspent by £9,208 at the end of the financial year. In a normal year, this could be
closer to £65,000. The council says the museum’s budget is under “significant pressure”. Paul Riley, the council’s head of finance and resources, said: “The recent Lego event has negated some of the overspend for this fi- nancial year only.” Within the culture, heritage and leisure sector, the Vinter’s Park Crematorium also failed to achieve its income target in 2014/15. The council has been asked to
find savings of £1.63m in 2016/17, of which the culture and heritage committee has identified possible savings of £210,000. The museum shop is also in the
red, but steps are being taken to rectify this, members were told, while Cobtree Golf Course, in
Text savings MAIDSTONE and Tunbridge Wells Hospitals’ outpatient booking teams have improved attendances through a patient text messaging reminder service, saving £50,000 a month.
Cancer delays CANCER treatment waiting times are deteriorating in West Kent with a sharp swing from green to red ratings for the ma- jority of indicators. TheCCGhas appointed a commissioning manager to support hospitals with a first focus on cancer.
Weighty cuts THE CCG is concerned about fi- nancial cuts made to healthy weight advice services for pa- tients and fears this will increase demand for bariatric surgery.
Death reviews THE CCG has reviewed 21 un- explained deaths and suicides over a year. Elevenwere suicides – seven hangings, two by over- doses and two hit by trains.
which the council has a 2/9 interest, is also likely to make losses, given its poor summer performance. Losses of £36,856 at Mote Park
will be largely offset after April 2016 by the introduction of parking charges.
Although figures indicate the heritage committee is on course to overspend its budget of £540,120 by £100,328 in the current financial year, Mr Riley said: “Officers will continue to control expenditure against budget to reduce the cur- rently predicted overspend.” He said actions already put in
place were starting to show an ef- fect and a further report would be presented on proposals to resolve the pressures at the museum. Booking top touring exhibitions
such as Brick Citywas not a simple solution, said Dawn Hudd, head of commercial and economic devel- opment. She said popular exhibi- tionswere expensive and carried a huge risk to the council. There were very few similar touring exhibitions which would draw similar numbers, although the officers were constantly on the look-out, planning events two to three years ahead. Another problemwas the size of
the museum, which could not ac- commodate many of the larger ex- hibitions, she said.
Edith concert THE heroic efforts of wartime nurse Edith Cavellwere honoured at the annual Concert of Remem- brance by Maidstone Wind Sym- phony. A plaque commemorating the nurse’s work on the front lines of Maidstone’s typhoid epidemic was on display for concert-goers as the borough marked the cente- nary of her death at the hands of German soldiers in 1915. This year’s concert, entitled “A
Little Prayer”, raised money for the Poppy Appeal. The pro- gramme featured both poignant and uplifting pieces. Maidstone Young Musician of
the Year George Harrington per- formed Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Tuba Concerto in F Minor, while Lucy Crooks andWill Scott played A Little Prayer, Evelyn Glennie’s solo piece for marimba and electric guitar. A Little Prayer was the second concert in a season of musical sto- rytelling by MaidstoneWind Sym- phony, the reigning national wind band champions, conducted by Jonathan Crowhurst.
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