Planned 7% funding cuts to 32 arts groups will not go ahead

SDLP spokesperson for Culture, Arts and Leisure Karen McKevitt MLA has welcomed news that planned funding cuts of 7% to 32 arts groups will not go ahead.

Dominic Bradley MLA and Karen McKevitt MLA attending the Arts Rally against Cuts at Stormont

Speaking to Newry Times, McKevitt said, “Yesterday the whole arts community breathed a sigh of relief. The sector faced some of the hardest cuts to date at the behest of the Arts Minister, cuts that would have most certainly resulted in job losses and seen our arts providers limited in their ability to provide engagement and interaction opportunities to the wider community.

“During a recent meeting with the Culture, Arts and Leisure committee, I pressed the Minister to commit to reversing the proposed cuts of £620,000 if monies became available to her Department. The Minister has done just that and I am delighted that the latest round of cuts has been stopped.

She added, “The campaign to make the arts sector sustainable is far from over and the industry has felt the impact of the economic climate more than any other. We need to look at measures to safeguard this sector for the future.”

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Posted by Newry Times News on Nov 20 2015. Filed under Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry