Last word

One star review
A couple of months ago, I was pulled aside by a well-respected arts figure and asked why AP insisted on painting the bleakest picture of the coalition’s forthcoming public spending cuts; we couldn’t predict what would happen in the Spending Review, I was told, so why pre-empt the facts and take the anxious, pessimistic line? My answer is the same as it was then: every cultural organisation, company, artist and arts professional (especially the publicly funded ones) needs to be aware of and prepare for the worst-case scenario. Galvanising the sector, we might even have had the power to lobby against the rumoured 20–25% budget cuts the arts was threatened with. As it turns out, I was hopelessly optimistic. I can’t think of a British industry that has rallied harder, shouted louder and proved its economic worth more times over in the past few months than the cultural one. And yet, the cuts (more like bloody wounds) still run deep. The Chancellor might cleverly have dodged the detail by announcing “four-year reductions to 15% in core programmes” and a commitment to keep museum and gallery entry free, but slashing Arts Concil England (ACE) by 30%, the DCMS budget overall by 24% and, crucially, the budget for local authorities by 28%, harks the arrival of a long, bleak winter.
One of the most frustrating – although least surprising – outcomes of a Spending Review frogmarched through by the Tories is the utter disregard for society’s poorest and most vulnerable. It is a strategy that is mirrored exactly in the budget for arts provision. The big guns – wealthy and prestigious museums, national galleries, major theatres and opera houses – receive overwhelmingly strong support. The government, for example, has proudly declared a commitment to complete the £350m extensions to the Tate and British Museum. Coincidentally, that same figure of £350m is also the grant-in-aid figure which ACE will be left with by 2015 to administer to over 400 organisations. Many tinier operations and companies might be cut – Alan Davey has already indicated that the number of regularly funded organisations could eventually shrink by 100 – hitting those that obviously need that subsidy the most.

Last word
And now, for something a bit uplifting. Or, as it’s known on regional TV news, the “and finally, a tiny cat has been rescued from a very tall tree” moment. APe-mail readers will be aware that change is afoot with the content we’re providing via the magazine and through our website (relaunching imminently). A new publishing cycle will mean that online content will be ramped up with breaking news and extra features. A new email bulletin, together with the print magazine, will bring you a round-up of news every week instead of every fortnight. It’s the upside to what has been a tricky streamlining of our own organisation, under even trickier times for the sector as a whole. As such, this does mean that this is my final edition of AP as Editor. I’m moving on to pastures freelance, but will still be commenting, reporting and working on all things arts in the national press. In any case, do stay in touch – it’s been a pleasure.