Protesters gather outside Suffolk County Council HQ calling for scrap to arts cuts
It comes weeks after the council announced it would cut 100 per cent of its core funding for the arts after the financial year starting in April 2025.
Dozens of protesters gathered outside the county council’s HQ to criticise planned arts cuts.
This comes weeks after the council announced it would cut 100 per cent of its core funding for the arts after the financial year starting in April 2025, plans which have been kept in the current budget proposals.
Cordelle Sheldon, one of the protesters, said: “The cuts are the wrong thing to do — it’s shortsighted when there are other cuts the council could make.
“It’s an area we take for granted but when you dig a little deeper you understand these groups do so much good work.”
Following the Government’s announcement of a £600m package for local authorities, of which Suffolk would get £7.2m, the council decided to introduce a £500,000 project pot which arts and heritage organisations could apply for.
The announcements have not stopped dozens of protesters from gathering outside Endeavour House, the council’s HQ, to criticise the council’s decision to keep its original plan.
Adrian Ramsey, Green candidate for Waveney Valley, was at the protest and said: “It’s an amount of money that makes a huge difference to the arts organisations but is not going to help the council’s overall budget situation.
“It’s hard when charities have to compete more for smaller pots of money — the rug is being pulled from under the feet of crucial organisations.”
But Cllr Richard Rout, cabinet member for finance and environment, said the current proposals would allow more arts and heritage organisations to apply for funding, as opposed to the nine which previously benefited from the council’s core funding provision.
He said: “We recognise the value of the arts and cultural sector in Suffolk and this was never a reduction we wanted to propose. There are many brilliant arts and heritage organisations in Suffolk that have not benefited from our funding that now will.”