The situation with the Re-enactment Theatre Group actually becomes even murkier when you realise that the Director is also the Director of two other companies – Dog Without A Bone – which markets theatre productions – and Guestus Pantomimes.
A version of the classic Hands and Great Al, produced by Guestus, was due to be at the WEE on the 15th and 16th December. Unfortunately, despite heavily discounting the ticket price, hardly any seats were sold and the performance has now been rescheduled as a traditional ‘Easter Pantomime‘, taking place at the end of March and is now being marketed as of interest to schools.
Why wasn’t this – an extra addition to the Smalltown Pantomime season – simply cancelled when it became obvious that the WEE was saturated with pantomimes?
Could it possibly be something to do with the fact that in August Smalltown and Dullbridge Town Council paid Dog Without A Bone a £1,500 deposit for the show?
Any residents of Smalltown and Dullbridge thinking of buying a ticket may like to know that they are actually paying twice for the privilege. Once again the only winner here will be the Director of the private companies.
Smalltown and Dullbridge Town Council would also do well to brush up on the Subsidy Control Act 2022, where the rules state that local government funding can only be given if it is ‘in the public interest, address a market failure or equity concern’.
None of which conditions apply in these instances and means that offering preferential terms and paying out to a private business to host a performance demonstrates a lack of’ ‘proper controls, (which) subsidies can cause economic harm or distortive effects. Subsidies can give recipients an unfair advantage over their competitors or be an inefficient use of public money if they do not bring about net positive change’.
Of course, this all took place during the period the WEE was between Smalltown Culture and Arts Manager appointments, during the reign of the Smalltown Provisional Arts Manager (SPAM1), who had been employed on the advice of the Top Secret Consultants and who, co-incidentally, was himself one of the Top Secret Consultants who recommended he be employed.
One can only surmise that the Top Secret SPAM1 looked at ticket sales for the ever-popular Smalltown Pantomime Society’s yearly extravaganza and decided that booking wall-to wall pantos over the festive season was the way to go.
However, it does beg the question was anyone from the SaDTC WEE Mismanagement Committee keeping an eye on what he was up to, or was he given carte blanche to do as he pleased?
Someone has certainly taken their eye off the ball here (if indeed, they ever had an eye on it) and, as per usual, the inability of SaDTC to run the WEE is obvious. You simply cannot pay fast and loose with Council Tax money in this way. Meeting once every two months to learn about the decisions being made in your name and leaving a Manager (however qualified they may be) in charge is no way to run an efficient business.