Council set to cut all arts funding

The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead Council must reconsider plans to abolish all grant funding for local arts from April, an online petition says.

Funding for local organisations, including The Old Court and Norden Farm, were cut by 45% last year, making the area one of the lowest for investments in culture despite being England's second-most affluent local authority.

Public Campaign for the Arts is calling instead for increased investment in Windsor and Maidenhead’s arts and culture.

Council Leader Andrew Johnson said the decision is an attempt to make the organisations “self-financing”.

Nordern Farm Chief Executive and Artistic Director Jane Corry said the hit would be “extremely hard”.

“From the dream residents first had of having their own arts centre to the thriving venue it has become took 40 years of hard work.

"To lose that would be too tragic to imagine.”