I first became involved in 1975 in the project to save the Theatre Royal from demolition and to bring back live theatre to Winchester.

With significant local and national support the previous owners were prevented from replacing the theatre with a supermarket but the early 80s saw considerable condemnation of the theatre at city council meetings with several knife-edge votes on funding.

Subsequently it benefited from a more supportive council and enjoyed greater financial stability. It was worrying and upsetting at the full council meeting in February this year that the Conservative group made comments and decisions reminiscent of meetings 25 years ago.

Recipients of local authority funding must expect controversial debate but why was only the theatre selected for criticism and fund cutting?

Other parties tried to retrieve the situation, but it appeared the Conservatives were interested only in the potential of any grant to produce adequate local commercial profit.

Great emphasis was placed on the triviality of a £5,000 reduction in next year's grant and questioning as to why the theatre should be so concerned, but conversely, if so trivial, why did the council find it so important in relation to the multi-million budget just agreed?

Regrettably the cut will trigger a reduction of £2,500 in the county grant and the theatre will probably lose £35,000 from the Arts Council.

I did not hear councillors stressing the cultural value of theatre or recognizing commitment on the part of hundreds of local volunteers.

Community involvement is vital and volunteers as well as theatre staff, need the recognition, encouragement and financial stability that a supportive local authority can provide. Incredibly, one councillor suggested the presence of public school children at a performance he had attended somehow made local authority support wrong because those children could afford higher ticket prices.

The group he cited came from Dorset and was studying the play for GCSE. Should they have been refused tickets?

Government and local authority funding for youth facilities, the arts, physical recreation, sport, parks, gardens and museums is vital throughout the UK.

Incomprehensibly, it is frequently just theatres which become the target for bitter criticism and funding cut-backs.

MAURICE K CHARRETT, Winchester.