You may remember some discussion on this site about the impending announcement of Birmingham City Council’s arts budget cuts. Well, following a Cabinet meeting yesterday, the results are in.
My first boss always told me to work from first principles and sources, therefore:
- The Cabinet report is here (PDF); and
- The figures are here (Excel doc)
So, if you’re interested, have a look for yourselves.
If you’re in a rush
The cuts don’t quite match those suggested by that leaked document but they aren’t far off. The overall 17% cut for 2010/11 was right, at least.
Here are a few headlines:
- Performances Birmingham get a 23% cut
- Birmingham Royal Ballet and The Rep get an 18% cut
- Birmingham Opera Company, Ikon, Dancexchange and Ex Cathedra get a 15% cut
- CBSO, The Drum and sampad get a 9% cut
- BCMG, Craftspace, Birmingham Jazz, Big Brum, Women & Theatre, Sound It Out, ACE Dance, Tindal Street Press, Stan’s Cafe, Fierce and RBSA will be funded for 6 months (‘transitional’ funding). After that they get nothing
- Capsule, Chitraleka, Friction Arts, The Playhouse, Punch, Vivid and Reel Access won’t be taken into the council’s portfolio of funded organisations (as was apparently planned before all this kicked off)
- There’s a project commissioning budget of about £250,000 which those smaller organisations (and others) can apply into
An observation – the project funding post has increased from £40,000 to £250,000. That increase would more than cover the funding taken away from those smaller organisations (£113,000 would do it).
The leaked figures suggested a rather bleak scenario of 2012/13 and 2013/14 – one that’s been described as ‘politically unacceptable’. The idea, as I understand it, is for the figures announced yesterday to hold for the next three years. Funding is to be kept at this level by income generated by (for example) sponsorship secured by the likes of Performances Birmingham (Town Hall/Symphony Hall to you and I). I must admit I’m a bit fuzzy on how this is meant to work. Would be happy for any clarification.
If you want the really quick version
Dave Harte says: “Sounds like there was some retreat from Brum arts cuts as leaked but with an expected 6000% increase in need for bid writing.”
If you want some other views
- Birmingham Budget Cuts report on the cuts with bonus visualisation
- The Stage’s report
- The Birmingham Post’s report
- Audiences Central’s report on Council funding more generally
- The (comparatively) shiny happy version from the Council
If you’d rather see some cute photos of hedgehogs taking a bath
Then that would be completely understandable. Here you go.
Anyone know what the deal is with The MAC? Why is it separate to the Revenue Commissions? Has it always been this way or is this a new development?
And what “services” is it commissioned to do?
Just idle curiosity…
Hi Chris
Where did you hear/see that the figures announced yesterday are to be held for the next three years?
I thought all orgs were on single year deals.
Hi Clayton. You’re right, everyone’s on one year deals but, as I understand it, the intention/hope is that any further cuts year on year will be mitigated by alternative income.
This was mentioned by Martin Mullaney at the press briefing following the Cabinet meeting and also in a comment on the previous post:
“We will now work on testing the market for corporate sponsorship for Performances Birmingham, and other art organisations, so that the awfulness of the proposals for 2012/13 and 2013/14 never happen.”