Funding cuts of 1.5 million pounds will hit the Northern Ireland Arts Council over the next three years, a drop from 14.5 million pounds to 13 million. The Council and arts organisations all over Ireland are calling for a re-think, claiming that the decline in funding would have terrible ramifications for the arts. ‘It is a measure of our unwavering commitment to the arts community and of our conviction that the anticipated financial cuts will cause irreparable damage to the sector, and consequently to the region’s prosperity as a whole, that the Arts Council is prepared to take this stand,’ said Rosemary Kelly, Chairman of the Arts Council. The cuts are part of a downsizing in the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure. For the Council, this equates to roughly 10.4% of the total budget being stripped. In defence, the government is pointing to heightened investment expenditure, but the figure is somewhat misleading. Investment expenditure is tied into lottery funding and quite distinct from revenue spending, so the element of give-and-take is largely illusory. The arts have been under-funded in Ireland for quite some time, with spending per capita below the UK average. Should the proposals go through, arts spending in Northern Ireland would be, per capita, £6.33, compared with England on £8.28 and Scotland and Wales at £7.95. Says Kelly, ‘As a direct result of decades of chronic under-funding, the arts infrastructure in Northern Ireland is extremely fragile. Any further tightening of our meagre resources will threaten the fabric of our artistic economy.’ The cultural sector and creative industries in Northern Ireland are responsible for 20 000 jobs, and £900m annually. With the proposed funding cuts, this figure is expected to diminsh. The cuts also have serious ramifications for volunteer organisations, many of which rely on Council funding in the form of grants. Organisations such as Voluntary Arts Ireland are rallying with the council, agreeing with the projected negative ramifications. 75% of the population took part in or attended an arts event in Northern Ireland last year. What this will mean for them is yet to be seen, but the arts community is worried. Heather Floyd, Director of the Community Arts Forum , stated, ‘Access to the arts is not a privilege or bonus – it is a fundamental right of every man, woman and child in Northern Ireland. This cut will make it impossible for that right to be realised, particularly for the most disadvantaged and excluded individuals and communities within our society, depriving them of the positive influence that the arts have had across Northern Ireland.’ For more information, visit The Arts Council of Northern Ireland