Equity: Bristol Arts Cuts Will Cause 'Significant Damage'

Performing arts and entertainment union Equity is urging Bristol City Council to drop plans to cut hundreds of thousands of pounds from the arts and culture budget.

Local Equity members have written to Bristol City Council warning that cuts would do significant damage to jobs and cultural activities in Bristol, which is a UNESCO City of Film and famed for its culture offer. 

The Council's Finance Sub-Committee will meet this week (15-16 January) to consider proposals to make savings and funding cuts across the board. Last week Equity encouraged members who live or work in Bristol to submit a statement to the Council about why culture funding is so important, with lots of members writing directly the Council. Final decisions are due to be made at meetings on 3 and 25 February.

Commenting, Equity President and local Bristol resident Lynda Rooke said: “These cuts would be a disaster for Bristol and inflict significant damage on the local economy.

“Bristol is known as a city of culture, with thousands of jobs based in creative industries and people moving here or visiting for the unique cultural offering available. Local authority funding is worth more than any other source, including from the Arts Council, and once lost it never appears from other sources, however much the Council may wish it to.

“We're asking Bristol City Council to drop plans for cutting culture funding. Culture cuts would have a detrimental impact both economically and socially, cutting off Bristol's nose to spite her face.”

The Cultural budget falls under the Strategy and Resources Committee which includes several draft proposals for savings under consideration. These include: 

• The reduction and closure to new applicants of the Cultural Investment Programme, with the intention to seek alternative funding. The proposal details that the current grantees will be honoured as per their grant agreement. This is estimated to generate a £635,000 saving between now and 2027. 
• The closure of Blaise Museum (saving £39,000 by 2027).
• The closure of Georgian House Museum (saving £29,00 by 2027).
• The closure of Red Lodge Museum (saving £64,000 by 2027).
• Reducing the opening hours of the Archives Search Room (saving £35,000 by 2027). 

The proposal regarding the Cultural Investment Programme is especially concerning as it has been the lifeblood of stable funding for arts and cultural activities, festivals and partnerships. Recent beneficiaries include St Paul's Carnival, Mayfest, Bristol Pride, Knowle West Media Centre, Tobacco Factory, Travelling Light Theatre Company, and dozens of small community arts projects.

New applications for the Cultural Investment Programme were closed in October 2024. The Council says they will seek alternative funding, but there are no details for this, meaning individuals and organisations seeking arts funding will be left without a local government funding option.  

This comes just months after Equity demanded that Bristol City Council keep their promise to engage in real and meaningful consultation about the proposed sale of Bottle Yard Studios.   

Equity has submitted questions and a statement to the Council for consideration at this week's meeting.  

The Strategy and Resources Policy Committee will meet on 3 February and Equity will be organising campaign activity leading up to this meeting. Full council meets to make any final decisions on 25 February.  

Key dates

• 12noon Monday 13 January: deadline to submit statements to the Finance Sub-Committee
• 2pm 15 January: Finance Sub-Committee meeting to consider proposals
• 4pm 16 January: Finance Sub-Committee meeting to consider proposals (includes Culture agenda items)
• 2pm 3 February: Strategy and Resources Policy Committee meeting to make decisions on which proposals to put forwards
• 2pm 25 February: full Council meeting to approve funding cut proposals

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