So, just a few days after Harriet Harman had said (sort of - see last post!) that her Labour colleagues on Newcastle City Council were definitely not cutting their arts budget by 100%, the councillors have come up with some money after all.
Or have they?
In a miraculous feat of prestidigitation, £600,000 has "appeared" out of some sort of magic hat to replace the £1.2 million arts subsidy.
Or has it?
Closer inspection of this "fund" shows that nothing will happen before 2016, and that some of the total figure is coming from hoped-for private donations (council leader has called for "very wealthy" Geordie celebrities like Sting to contribute), some from as-yet-unsolicited business largesse, and whatever they can get from selling the Lord Mayor's 18th century coach.
So for now, the arts are still getting a 100% cut, none of the libraries scheduled with closure are actually reprieved, and up in Newcastle the only art with a future is performing sleight of hand....
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