The recent "emergency" rescue plan for Chichester Festival Theatre has exposed the cabinet system of local government in West Sussex as an elective dictatorship.

At the meeting of the full county council on February 16, the cabinet member for resources, Colin Waller, was asked if he was negotiating with the theatre about a rescue package. His reply was that he was not in negotiation but, rather, simply in normal discussion with the theatre. This suggested nothing unusual, least of all a major rescue plan for the theatre costing council taxpayers £600,000 over three years.

To put this in context, the council at its budget meeting that same day approved annual expenditure of £560,000 to cover the whole of the arts budget for the whole of the county.

It emerged the council had been approached by the theatre on February 5, 11 days before the council meeting when Councillor Waller said he was not in negotiations.

This money was committed without any public debate, without even consultation with the arts policy advisory group. The only discussions Coun Waller had were with council officers and his colleagues on the cabinet.

The system is in place for abuse of power on a massive scale. Local democracy has been turned into a sham.

-Brian Hill, West Sussex Liberal Democrat county councillor, Haywards Heath West