Arts Council Northern Ireland warns of 10% cuts

The Arts Council of Northern Ireland (ACNI) has warned arts organisations that their annual funding for 2023-24 is likely to drop by 10%.

In a letter sent to the 95 organisations that receive regular support through ACNI’s Annual Funding Programme (AFP), they are advised to "assume a 10% reduction on 2022-23 resource funding levels”.

The 10% drop is based on an expected reduction in funding previously allocated by the Department for Communities at Stormont.

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In 2022-23, of the £13m awarded to ACNI's annual funding programme, around £8.5m was directly from the devolved government.

With the absence of a sitting government at Stormont, the 2023-24 budget is still to be announced by Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris.

However, large cuts are expected across departments in what Sinn Féin's Conor Murphy, former Stormont Finance Minister, has described as a “punishment budget”.

Difficult decisions

Annually-funded organisations range from major venues such as the Lyric Theatre in Belfast to the Turner Prize-winning art collective Array Studios.

The ACNI letter continued: "Difficult decisions will be required in relation to AFP grant allocations to live within budget while also enabling organisations to develop and meet their full potential after years of lack of investment.

"A 10% cut is the indicative allocation which ACNI must now use as the necessary planning figure in relation to the AFP budget.”

The letter added: "At a time when the Northern Ireland arts sector is facing significant challenges in this period of ongoing post-Covid recovery and inflationary cost pressures, this is extremely disappointing news.”

The Dylan Quinn Dance Theatre in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, received £47,000 in Arts Council funding last year.

Its founder, Dylan Quinn, told BBC News that a 10% cut would be "absolutely devastating” for the company.