Conservatives criticise Greens for turning down sponsorship money

Conservative councillor for Patcham Ward, Carol Theobald, has criticised the Green Administration for passing up significant sums of money from local businesses who want to sponsor floral displays in the city.

Carol raised the issue at last week’s Full Council meeting, asking the Green Finance Spokesman, Leo Littman, why the Administration had turned down money offered by the Hove Business Association to sponsor the wonderful Floral Clock in Palmeira Square. Last year, it emerged that the Greens turned down thousands of pounds offered by a local firm to sponsor and maintain the ‘Welcome’ flowerbed that greets visitors as they enter the city from the A23 at Patcham. As a result, last year it rapidly became messy and overgrown and Carol and other councillors took matters into their own hands and tidied it up themselves.

In response to Carol’s question at the Council meeting, Cllr. Littman asserted that it would cost the Council too much to administer sponsorship of roundabouts, flowerbeds etc. and was therefore not worthwhile.

Carol said:

“I cannot understand the Green Party’s decision to turn down cheques that would help finance improvements to floral displays such as these, especially when budgets are supposed to be tight. It is a triple win situation – helping local businesses by giving them much needed exposure, bringing in extra money to the Council and maintaining some of the city’s most attractive floral displays. If the Green Party want to refuse commercial sponsorship for silly ideological reasons, then they should be exploring other creative ways of maintaining them such as getting local community groups involved.”