Arts groups to learn of funding cuts

Chiefs at all of the country’s Regularly Funded Organisations (RFOs) have been told to expect an e-mail between 8.30am and 10am today outlining the funding they can expect over the three year period from 2012 to 2015.

RFOs in Yorkshire include West Yorkshire Playhouse, Opera North, Northern Ballet Theatre, Northern Broadsides and Museums Sheffield.

There are 105 RFOs in Yorkshire, and in the first quarter of 2010, from April to June, Arts Council Yorkshire made grants of £663,671 to projects in the region.

Nationally the Arts Council England’s budget of £325m has been cut by 29.2 percent and across the country 1,300 organisations have applied for RFO funding, only a small number of which are expected to be successful.

The fear among organisations is that funding cuts could be catastrophic for the arts in the region.