Funds aplenty, no grants

Press, 11 February 1983, Page 4

Funds aplenty, no grants

.The Heathcote County Council is likely to have a healthy surplus of funds this year, thanks to the wage freeze, but it does not intend to commit itself to paying but any of it in extra grants until the new financial year. . A meeting of the council’s finance committee last evening decided against a further grant of $5O to the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra. :: Last. November, the committee first considered the possibility of making supplementary grants, including one to the orchestra, but a decision was deferred until

the February meeting to see how the council's expenditure compared with its estimates. Cr 0. T. Alpers said that he had been studying the council’s accounts in detail and it looked as thdugh Heathcote would have quite a surplus this financial year. . "For example, in the engineers' salaries, I see that we will have about $lO,OOO left over," he said. “The situation seems no different now than when we are striking the rates. Organisations that we have considered each year for grants

will now be in even greater' need of them," Cr Alpers said. Cr W. M. Hindmarsh said the country’s finances would have a surplus at the end of the year, thanks to the wage freeze. On a vote of five to three, the committee decided not to make a grant to the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra this year. Cr Hindmarsh suggested that the council make it clear that its grants to organisations would be reviewed in the new financial year, when the council hoped

to have more funds available. Cr Alpers said he could only vote against this suggestion. “I think it is painfully dishonest. We have tons of funds available right now.” he said. The original recommendation before the committee to grant the orchestra an extra $5O was supported by Cr C. C. Buchanan. “We could even double that amount,”’ she said. “It is still small, but it would help the orchestra out of financial troubles."