Coronavirus: Welsh arts organisations losing £1.4m a week, Arts Council boss warns

Arts organisations in Wales are losing an estimated £1.4 million a week, leaving the sector "on its knees", the chief executive of the country’s arts council has said.

Nick Capaldi said the venues and companies supported by the Arts Council of Wales are rapidly losing significant sums in earned income while the industry is at a standstill, with major organisations like the Wales Millennium Centre heading towards an annual loss of £20 million.

Speaking to the Welsh government’s culture committee, Capaldi said the arts’ pivot away from a reliance on public funding had left organisations such as WMC and Chapter Arts Centre in Cardiff in particularly challenging circumstances when their earned income "dried up over night".

In order to help the sector in the short term, the Arts Council is providing emergency relief of £7.5 million, including pots of funding worth £2 million for individuals as well as £5.5 million for organisations.