14 cultural organisations across Bristol could no longer receive council funding

More than a dozen cultural organisations across Bristol could no longer receive council funding under new proposals.

Bristol Old Vic, St George’s, the Wardrobe Theatre and the Watershed are among the organisations not recommended for council funding from April 2024.

The Cultural Investment Programme funding process itself has been questioned by the CEO of the Watershed, Clare Reddington, who says it is “hard to feel confident about the funding process when the city doesn’t have a clear cultural strategy, or a head of culture in post”.

The funding decision will be made at a meeting of Bristol City Council’s cabinet on December 5; with the council also reducing the funding for their larger grants strand by £75,000 per year compared to previous years.

Reddington added: “The city has underinvested in its culture sector for many years. Without a clear strategy to map out the unintended consequences of cutting cultural infrastructure, I have significant concerns about the impact of these funding decisions on Bristol’s communities, economy and overall brand.”

Writing in a blog post, Reddington said that she “certainly understand(s) that local authorities are under severe pressure and have to make difficult decisions”.

In response, the mayor’s office say that the current administration is “proud to have protected this discretionary, multi-million-pound fund to support our city’s cultural sector, at an increasingly challenging time for local councils across the country”.

It comes as Nottingham City Council on Wednesday issued a section 114 notice, effectively declaring itself bankrupt, following Birmingham doing the same in September.

Unique Voice is the only new cultural organisation in Bristol due to receive council funding from 2024, with other organisations recommended for up to £30,000 of annual funding including Circomedia, Knowle West Media Centre and St Paul’s Carnival.

2024-27 funding requests and recommendations will be going to Bristol City Council’s cabinet for approval on December 5

Bristol West MP Thangam Debbonaire said that the city council’s proposal “is desperately sad news”.

Debbonaire, also the shadow secretary of state for digital, culture, media & sport, tweeted: “@wshed is an anchor for Bristol’s cultural and social life, bringing people together, showing wonderful films, providing a cultural space of huge importance.

“I’ll be doing everything I can to support them and what they do.”

In her blog, Reddington said: “Last week, members of Bristol’s Culture Board were asked to fill in a survey about the ways in which their organisation meets the aims of Bristol’s One City Plan.

“I wasn’t feeling too hopeful when I opened the form – despite the fact that the city is internationally known as a centre of innovation and creativity, culture has never been a focus of the One City plan.

“However, looking over the sections on Economy, Environment, Children and Health, I was delighted to be reminded of the many ways that Watershed delivers against these goals.

“It is with huge disappointment then, that I received the news this week that from April 2024 the City Council is proposing that they no longer support Watershed with cultural funding, though the final decision will be made by the City Council Cabinet next week.”

Reddington added that the proposals to reduce funding across the city’s cultural sector “comes in a hard week for cinema in the city” with Cineworld in Hengrove now closed and Showcase Cinema De Lux in Cabot Circus screening its final film on Thursday.

A mayor’s office spokesperson said: “All bids to the Cultural Investment Programme were considered by an independent panel. Their recommendations will come to cabinet next week.

“The mayor’s administration are proud to have protected this discretionary, multi-million-pound fund to support our city’s cultural sector, at an increasingly challenging time for local councils across the country.”

Main photo: Martin Booth

Read next:

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