Whilst it is always slightly sad to see something owned by the borough go, I think the benefits of selling a few pieces of the Riesco Collection far outweigh the cost.

We’re told that the pieces that are being sold aren’t even available to the public and are locked in the Croydon Council vaults because of the cost of insuring and protecting them for ingenious thieves.

If that's the case, isn't it better to have the money tied up in these items used to refurbish the Fairfield Halls at the Council propose?

The Council is selling 24 of the 230 pieces with the full blessing of the Riesco family who generously donated the collection to us.

The rest of the collection will apparently continue to be available for public viewing with the sale making us £13m that’ll be used to fund the much needed renovation of Fairfield Halls.

As well as being used for performances and pantomimes, Fairfield Halls is used by hundreds of community groups each year and seems to me to contribute far more to the borough's cultural development than a few pieces of hidden Chinese porcelain.

At a time of tight budgets for us all, I’d rather the Council raises funds from art we’ve never seen and likely never will see than increasing our Council Tax. Wouldn’t you?

Anthony Richards; Addiscombe

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