Arts funding

Posted on October 25, 2010

The government’s spending review has brought hard news for arts companies.

Arts Council England has had a 29.6 per cent cut to its budget. In real terms, the money available will go from £450 million now to £350 million in 2014.

Further cuts are expected. At a meeting on November 1, Somerset County Council will discuss a proposal to cut all arts funding. A protest is being planned – see http://bit.ly/cTROc7 for more information.

The Association of Greater Manchester Authorities (AGMA), which currently supports arts and charitable associations with a £3.7 million grants scheme, plans a major review of arts funding, with significant cuts expected. At a meeting on October 29, members of AGMA will be asked to approve the review on the grounds that the current scheme, established in 1986, is “no longer sustainable”. If the review is approved, it will start this year, with recommendations expected to follow in the spring. Meanwhile, AGMA will write to all affected organisations, warning them that funding is likely to be reduced or withdrawn completely.

The website http://artsfunding.ning.com/ has been set up as a network to share information and responses to the impending cuts.

Zoe Anderson

Zoë was born in Edinburgh, and saw her first dance performances at the Festival there. She is the dance critic of The Independent, and has also written for The Independent on Sunday, The Scotsman and Dancing Times. In 2002, she received her doctorate from the University of York for a thesis on “Nationhood and epic romance: Ariosto, Sidney, Spenser”. She is the author of The Royal Ballet: 75 Years and The Ballet Lover’s Companion.