Culture bosses in plea to save the arts

Jun 1 2010 by Adrian Pearson, The Journal

CULTURE bosses are to lobby the Government in a bid to save the North East arts scene from being devastated by cuts.

The Conservative-Lib Dem coalition has told officers at Arts Council North East that they will face their share of a £19m cut to the national budget.

It follows a £4m cut, already announced by the previous government, set to take effect in the same financial year.

Last night there were fears that funding used to kick start the North East economy, with venues such as The Sage Gateshead and the Baltic, was gone for good.

The Journal’s Case for the North East warned politicians in the run-up to the election to be wary of any moves which could damage a decade of cultural revival in the region.

With the region’s economy now more dependant then ever on tourism and its cultural scene, ministers will this week be urged not to hold back an already suffering economy by slashing further arts funding.

The new Government has promised to redirect more lottery funding to the arts but this move will not come in time to mitigate the impact of savage cuts.

Funding poured into the arts since Labour came to power in 1997 has boosted a tourist trade now worth around £4bn to the North East.

That regional value is seen at The Sage Gateshead where for every £1 of public subsidy, it generates £12 for the local economy.

Arts bosses say the effect is not only beneficial to the North East economy.