Aberdeen budget: Plea to spare the arts ‘destructive’ cuts that would cost jobs and ‘tarnish city’s reputation’

By Ben Hendry

February 24 2023, 5:00 pm

City Moves, the dance organisation in Aberdeen, celebrated its 35th anniversary last year. Image: Kenny Elrick/DC Thomson

Arts leaders have warned that slashing Aberdeen’s culture budget would cost jobs and “tarnish the city’s reputation”.

Councillors will have to find ways to save tens of millions of pounds when they meet to settle the authority’s finances on Wednesday.

A series of swingeing cuts have been proposed as officials battle to plug a £46.6 million funding gap.

Among the potential victims is almost the entire arts budget for 2023/24, which would save £815,000.

Could the Aberdeen Arts Centre pantomime be at risk? Image: CIRO Art Studio / Aberdeen Arts Centre

Culture Aberdeen blasts ‘unprecedented’ budget threat

Culture Aberdeen, a partnership of various organisations backed by council cash, has issued an impassioned plea for the cash to be spared.

Members have penned a letter expressing “profound disappointment” at the “scale and destructive nature of the proposal’s cuts”.

The group states: “The cuts proposed are unprecedented.

“They will lead to job losses in the cultural sector. They will lead to the loss of opportunities for freelance producers.

“They will lead to the loss of activities and experiences aimed at the least privileged in society.

“They will lead to the closure of venues and highly likely to the further loss of cultural organisations as well.

“They will impoverish the city and tarnish its reputation.”

Culture Aberdeen helped bring the Wonderland programme with the help of council cash last year. Pictured are Colin Farquhar, Rebecca Dunn, Pete Stollery. Image: Aberdeen Performing Arts

What culture enterprises could be hit in Aberdeen budget?

Proposed cultural cuts include £815,000 worth of grants from various local bodies.

Culture Aberdeen say this would amount to “a 100% cut to the council’s core cultural funding of external organisations”.

Dance studio City Moves, Peacock Visual Arts, Aberdeen Arts Centre, Jazz Aberdeen and the Sound festival would all be hit.

Artist Jonathan Comerford at Peacock Visual Arts. Image: Wullie Marr/DC Thomson

The letter continues: “We have seen recently the fragility of the cultural sector in the current cost-of-living crisis.

“None of us wish to see another cultural organisation go into administration after the closure of the Belmont – and yet this proposal makes that a very real possibility.”

Staff walking out after being made redundant at the Belmont Filmhouse last year. Image: Chris Sumner/DC Thomson

The money also goes towards freelance artists and producers who “undertake projects to the support the most vulnerable in society”.

Councillors could also save £1.27 million by ditching the music service, which is just one of many measures mooted for city schools.

Libraries face the prospect of a £280,000 cut, Shmu could lose out on £10,000 and the Fairer Aberdeen Fund could be axed to save £1.5 million.

Cuts would harm ‘most disadvantaged in society’

Culture Aberdeen add: “The creative and cultural sector in Aberdeen employs nearly 5% of the city’s workforce.

“It provides opportunities for the most disadvantaged in society, which transform individuals.”

While the group welcomes the continued funding of Aberdeen Performing Arts, which runs the Music Hall, His Majesty’s Theatre and Lemon Tree, it “fails to understand” why the “same logic” has not been applied elsewhere.

The meeting will take place on Wednesday.