Government Orders More Cuts in Arts Grants Date: 19 December 1997
Culture Secretary Chris Smith yesterday ordered the arts world to tighten its financial belt yet again as the department vowed to stick rigidly to spending plans of the previous Tory government. The move, following five years of frozen or cut budgets, was greeted angrily by the Arts Council which called for a nationwide campaign to oppose the cuts. The Arts Council's 1998 budget of £184.6m is down £1.4m from this year and is £34m lower in real terms than five years ago. Next month, the Arts Council will decide how to split the money between the 600-plus performing arts companies it supports. The funding crisis was further compounded when the Government outlined plans to siphon off lottery money to fund health and education programmes. As a result, the arts will lose £50m a year until 2001 after which the Government has refused to commit to maintaining current levels of lottery funding.
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