The Stage

Arts jobs at risk as councils cut spending

Published Tuesday 13 January 2009 at 16:45 by Lalayn Baluch

Job and service cuts proposed by councils struggling to cope with the economic downturn have sparked fears for the future of local arts provision across England and Wales.

Both the National Campaign for the Arts and the National Association of Local Government Arts Officers have warned that non-statutory services such as culture are likely to be first hit when authorities implement cost-cutting drives.

Their comments follow Croydon Council’s announcement that it is axing 11 posts from its culture department - a move that will lead to nine redundancies.

The cuts, which have been made to save nearly £200,000 annually, will also impact on local arts services. Key changes will include the merger of the Croydon Clocktower Arts Centre’s front of house and box office with the programming and marketing departments and the closure of the tourist information centre.

A council spokesperson said the restructuring was intended “to better meet the council’s priorities”. She added: “[The council] encourages staff being considered for redundancy to apply for other vacant town hall positions.”

Over the past month, a number of local authorities have announced that they will be making massive cuts and are currently in the process of deciding where their axes will fall.

Among those due for drastic changes are Oldham, which will lose 543 posts, Denbighshire, with 450 roles set to go, and Northumberland, which is preparing to shed 800 employees.

The Wirral has already announced its decision to close the Pacific Road Arts Centre and 13 libraries, leading to outcry from the public, Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council is looking to reduce grants for arts and sports projects to save £1.5 million, and in Warwickshire, a 600-strong citizen advisory panel has voted for less investment in the arts.

NCA director Louise de Winter told The Stage: “Our fear is that as more councils do the maths, the budgets they feel they can legitimately raid include culture, as it is not necessarily statutory.

“We understand the impact that the recession has, but cutting the arts budget doesn’t make a huge difference to council expenditure, and could have a detrimental effect overall.”

De Winter - who has sent a letter to Wirral Council protesting against its decision - called on the arts sector to “stand fast and firm and protect its patch”.

Meanwhile, NALGAO chair Lorna Brown said: “This may well be a foretaste of worse to come. We have seen over the past few years a growing difference between councils that recognise the benefits that cultural investment brings and those that don’t - [now] we might see even more difference.”