Whiston band brassed off over rent rise

Whiston Brass Band is fighting back after Whiston Parish Council revealed plans to hike up its rehearsal charges by 550 per cent, threatening the band’s survival.

The band, which has been going for 150 years, has rehearsed at the Manorial Barn in Whiston for 20 years and pays £20 a week, with free storage of their equipment at the barn and a nearby garage.

Whiston parish councillors claim that the non-profit-making, community band is a “commercial organisation” and have proposed an increase to £130 a week to hire the venue.

The band raises thousands each year for local and national charities and nurtures young musicians.

Concert secretary John Johnson said: “We simply cannot afford the new charges and are considering a legal challenge.

“We would not have been awarded a Big Lottery Fund grant if we were a commercial organisation.”

The band has about 30 members and in the last year four members have achieved honours degrees in music.

Children are encouraged into playing brass from the age of six and youngsters from two upwards are given an introduction to percussion to establish a sense of rhythm, with all teaching done on a voluntary basis.

The band is appealing for support with an on line petition at www.whistonbrass.co.uk/news.html and using Facebook networks to spread the word about the threat to Whiston Brass.

In a statement, Whiston Parish Council said that it was running at a budget deficit and had been forced to take the “unfortunate step” of increasing its hire charges for both the Parish Hall and the Manorial Barn to £20 per hour for commercial hire and £10 per hour for community hire.

A grant applications facility has been put in place for organisations unable to meet the new hire charges, it said.

A parish council spokeswoman said: “It is regrettable that the band has chosen not to follow the same process that all other users of the barn have engaged in, either demonstrating their community status or applying for assistance with the hire charges.”