Harris: Laneways funding a misuse of public funds

Greens Councillor Chris Harris has blasted Clover Moore’s laneways revitalisation project, calling Council grants to businesses “corporate welfare.”

The City has approved a $30,000 cash grant to open a small bar and is considering a second $30,000 grant for the Moran Arts Foundation to open up a gallery and coffee shop.

Cr Harris said he agreed that laneways should be revitalised but said the cash grants were a serious misuse of ratepayer money.

“If the City wants to enliven laneways it should do it by creating local events that will attract people to these laneways,” he said.
“[Or] through the local Chambers of Commerce, perhaps give them some grant to have a laneways marketing program.

“But giving individual donations … It’s just absurd [and] I don’t support it.”

Cr Harris said the grants reflected poorly on the City’s priorities, listing a number of community groups that had had funding requests turned down by Council.

They included the AIDS Council of NSW, Diabetes Australia, Glebe/Leichhardt PCYC and the Bell Shakespeare company.

In response to Cr Harris, a City of Sydney spokesperson said Council provided more than $4 million for cultural, community, environmental and economic projects in the City of Sydney for nearly 500 community groups.

“Each grant or sponsorship application goes through a rigorous assessment process to ensure it delivers benefits to our community,” the spokesperson said.

“The Laneways Business Development Program is open to everyone and designed to help small business … with small-scale, diverse and unique business ideas in Sydney’s CBD laneways.”

The spokesperson added that the grant for the Moran Arts Foundation was being assessed further so Council could ascertain its relationship with Moran Health Care.

The criteria for the Laneways Business Development program specify that Companies with an annual turnover greater than $5 million are not eligible to apply.

Councils providing grants to the business sector is not new. The City of Melbourne offers financial assistance to business located or planning to locate within its municipal borders.

One such business, the Rooftop cinema, opened in 2006 and has grown to be voted by Wallpaper Magazine as “the third coolest entertainment experience in the world.”