Suffolk theatres ask council to reconsider 100% arts funding cut

Theatre companies have called for a council to reconsider proposals to cut arts funding by 100%.

On Wednesday, Suffolk County Council announced plans to cut £65m from its budget, including ending £500,000 of funding to the arts and museums sector.

The council said the cuts were needed to provide extra support to children's services and adult care.

Douglas Rintoul, from Ipswich's New Wolsey Theatre, said: "You can't help but feel that you're valued less."

The council has provided funding to seven arts organisations across the county, including DanceEast, Eastern Angles Theatre Company, First Light Festival, The New Wolsey Theatre, Primadonna Festival, Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds and Suffolk Artlink.

In a joint statement, the organisations said: "Our immediate concern is how any decision might impact the people of Suffolk."

They added the cut would "provide an extremely modest difference to the council's overall finances", saying the funding represented just 0.057% of the council's 2023-24 revenue budget.

The council said the cuts were needed to give more support to children's services and adult care, in which it hoped to give an additional £42.7m and £29.9m respectively in the next two years.

However, Mr Rintoul said there was a "lack of an informed and open-minded willingness to accept that the arts can make a significant contribution" to the health and social care systems in the county.

New Wolsey Theatre said the funding represented 80% of the subsidy it committed to the theatre's engagement programme, which is accessed by more than 5,000 people.

Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds said the £100,000 funding it received was used to run a number of weekly classes for "vulnerable people in our society", including a sensory youth theatre for disabled and neurodivergent children.

The theatre's artistic director, Owen Calvert-Lyons, said: "We can't continue with all of that with this level of cut. We will have to make major changes to the way that we work.

"This is the very moment where you need councils to stand by organisations and support them. The removal of 100% of funding... is so devastating."

Despite the cuts, both Mr Rintoul and Mr Calvert-Lyons confirmed they would not be closing their doors.

Richard Rout, the council's Conservative deputy leader and cabinet member for finance and environment, said: "This is one of those really difficult decisions. We absolutely value the arts and our museums.

"We have found enough money to give them 12 months' notice... so that they can attract other funding sources, something they're very good at."

He added that the council had "spent months scrutinising" its spending.

"There is competition for every pound across all our services and I understand that each service means something to someone."

The council will vote on the proposals during a full council meeting on 15 February.

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