RECENTLY, due to a conversation I had with a local businessman, I thought about entertainment in this area, in particular, Morecambe's venues and festivals etc. There are a number of free events which attract vast crowds to the area, and no-one can dispute the success they have become. They are of course sponsored and subsidised from various directions such as sponsorship from local businesses and council money, which is, of course, the taxpayers' money being put to good use I hasten to add.

But something which was brought to my attention leaves me wanting to ask the council some questions:

If an act or event is staged at the Platform and it doesn't break even or make any money, where does the money come from to pay the shortfall?

How many of the shows/acts etc have made money at the Platform, or broke even?

How many people can the Platform accommodate, given that fire regulations stipulate there should be .5 square meters of space per person, I would estimate that a safe figure for the Platform would be about 400.

Now the reason for these questions are as follows:

I went to see T'pau last year at the Platform, the band were very good, but there were only about 200 to 250 people there, and at less than £10 per ticket I don't understand how the venue did not lose money, the same can be said for the Brighouse and Rastrick brass band when they appeared for the remembrance service. These are two examples of which there must be many more.

Any answers regarding the above from the councilrepresentatives?

Are they willing to put it in black and white for all the voters to see?

We are waiting with bated breath.

K Partridge,

Skerton

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.