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Cutting to the chase

(originally published by The Student)

     Following forewarned slashes to the Art Council's budget, there have been whispers backstage of huge funding cuts to some of the UK's best and brightest cultural organisations. Here in Edinburgh we can see it already in the closure of the Roxy ArtHouse and the dwindling hopes of the Forest Café, so could it be curtains for Edinburgh's Art scene?
     Well, not exactly. Though Arts Council England (ACE) 's budget has been tempered to the tune of a 30% reduction, Scottish equivalent Creative Scotland has secured its tickets into the middle of next year. This means that the 115 smaller arts organisations propped up by the government body will be protected- at least up until the election in May.
     This possible passing-on of the country's purse means the future of Creative Scotland is not guaranteed. But considering that even in England, where some council's arts funds have been cut completely, theatres and galleries still manage to thrive, we can hold back our farewell applause just for the moment. The cuts have not been as bad as was first forecast. ACE's strategy of cutting funding by just 0.5% to all of its beneficiaries will generate over £1.75 million for itself and help make up the difference between its savings and its newly-formed funding vacuum. The gap is still a large one (around £9 million), but not one too large to fill.
     What all these numbers mean is that though cuts are effecting our arts services to a certain extent, the situation is nowhere near as bad as it could be. But with an election in the near future, and Tory councils elsewhere in the UK characteristically averse to funding for the arts, the scene could change before the next season starts.
     Far south of the border, Somerset's county council has cut every penny of its arts funding. If a similar move is made in Edinburgh, a dip in financial support for Creative Scotland would affect, to a degree, the Filmhouse, the Lyceum and Traverse Theatres, and the International Festival over the summer, which currently benefits from over £2m in Creative Scotland funding.
     It's arguable that sometimes this funding is misdirected- public money was, after all, responsible for the rise of Mamma Mia!, and currently supports the London International Mime Festival. But this money can do big things. A film rejected by the BBC and Film 4 was given £1 million by the UK Film Council, and went on to wipe the floor with everyone else at the BAFTAs. The Film Council is now being axed from the government's budget. The film in question was The King's Speech. You may have heard of it.
     What's left is the importance of supporting our surviving art institutions. The Forest Café is around for now, and the New Victoria on Nicolson Street will provide punters with a multi-format art centre and a whole new set of props to play with.
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