British art industry faces biggest threat from funding cuts

Stars including Dame Helen Mirren, David Tennant, Victoria Wood and Miranda Hart are warning of a crisis faced by the arts from Government cuts.

The 46 names from British film, TV and the stage say they feel compelled to “speak out”. They also include Kenneth Branagh, Rory Bremner, Julie Walters and Jo Brand

In an open letter published in the Observer, they say arts and culture across the UK are facing “the biggest threat” in decades.

The letter states: “Before the last election the Government promised to usher in a ‘golden age’ for the arts. The reality couldn’t be further from this.

“With the reductions announced in last year’s comprehensive spending review, the withdrawal of huge amounts of local authority support, the abolition of the UK Film Council and the financial pressures faced by the Arts Councils and the BBC, we are currently facing the biggest threat to funding the arts and culture have experienced in decades.”

The “deep” cuts will not only hit film, regional theatre, the BBC and others, the letter adds, but audiences who experience the arts through the likes of outreach and education projects.

The stars write that “public investment is critical for the UK’s creative industries”, adding that there is a “staggering” return from the investment and that the film and arts industry contribute over £7bn to the economy each year.

“If we are serious about rebuilding our economy, culture cannot and should not be an easy target for cuts,” it says.

Among other signatories to the letter are actors Rob Brydon, Simon Callow, Peter Capaldi, Robert Glenister, Sheila Hancock, Jeremy Irons, Matthew Macfadyen, Johnny Vegas, Maxine Peake and director Mike Leigh.

The Government’s Comprehensive Spending Review proposed cuts of 15% across four years to “front line” arts organisations, with a cut of nearly 30% for Arts Council England.

The funding body has announced that over 100 organisations will lose their grants as a result.
Source: Sky News