POETS will have to become businessmen after Camden Council told a Kentish Town community hall to find its own funding – a move that threatens the future of volunteering across the borough.
For 22 years, Torriano Meeting House in Torriano Avenue has been entrusted to volunteers rent-free and used for community events, and is famed in particular for its poetry nights.
But now those poets must go and hustle business as Camden shifts its policy towards voluntary organisations: Camden is withdrawing its subsidy, and now wants £9,000 a year from the volunteers for use its community hall. Other community groups in the borough are also the subject of an abrupt about-face from Camden.
The Torriano management have until March to come up with a proposal for funding, but they say that is too little time.
John Rety, founder of the meeting house and Torriano Poets, said: “Camden says they support us but they have a new policy that voluntary organisations have to be commercially candid, which undermines the idea of a voluntary organisation.” However, he was keen to stress that he was continuing to have “fruitful” meetings with Camden’s officers.
Susan Johns, who helps run the meeting house, said: “The council’s view is that it’s so stretched for money that statutory things must come first, and funding places like this is not a statutory duty.”
Camden’s budget chief Councillor John Mills said: “Camden does have a policy of trying not to fund these organisations 100 per cent.”
He said of Torriano: “They have not made any serious effort to get any money in except from Camden.
“It really does stretch credulity when lots of other organisations who do equally worthy things can generate income despite having less middle class patrons than I suspect attend Torriano.”
Torriano has received 30 letters of support over the last two days.