Morecambe Dome is saved at stormy council meeting
MORECAMBE Dome was dramatically saved at a crunch meeting to decide this year's council budget.
On Wednesday night, councillors voted 28 to 25 to keep the venue open until at least April 2010.
It had been scheduled to close in June, sparking fury amongst some councillors.
Cash to keep The Dome open – for nine months out of the next 12 – was found by reducing money for playground repairs across the district.
At a stormy meeting where the council needed to find 1.3million in cuts, Coun Evelyn Archer said: "All we are asking for is nine months.
"The Platform is too small an alternative...just think about Morecambe for once."
Lancaster City Council also voted to keep open 11 public toilets throughout the district.
The council had originally recommended closing 13 community toilets and ceasing cleaning of parish council-owned conveniences in Caton to save 54,000.
Nearby business premises would each have been offered 750 a year to let the public use their premises.
Now only those in Morecambe in Regent Road and on the promenade are to be shut.
Other facilities which fared better than expected included The Dukes in Lancaster which had its funding cut by 20,000 rather than the expected 40,000.
Councillors also decided against cutting 20,000 from the council's funding to the Lancaster and Morecambe Citizens Advice Bureaux
Council leader, Abbott Bryning said: "We are recognising the
importance of the bureaux in the economic downturn and the support they give to citizens in the greatest need."
However, Lancaster Jazz Festival was axed to help ensure the Kite and Sandcastle Festivals in Morecambe go ahead this year.
Other confirmed cuts, as the Guardian went to press, included:
* Scrapping Lancaster's international youth games.
* A 119,000 cut to the Salt Ayre Sports Centre budget which could see the venue close two days a week.
* Introducing a 1.30 fare for users of the Lune Valley Transport dial-a-bus service.
* Reductions in mowing at Lancaster Cemetery and on Broadway Bridge in Morecambe.
* A 400 cut to the Mayoral budget.
* Scrapping the Festivals Innovation Fund.
* Cuts to 15 other organisations including charities and arts
bodies.
nScrapping plans to introduce school recycling.
At one point the Green Party proposed that legal funding for the Centros planning inquiry this summer should be virtually halved. But the proposal was overwhelmingly rejected.
Some of the extra cash was found from a 1.1million council fund used for art and leisure provision.
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Friday 25 May 2012
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