Update on Suffolk County Council Arts & Culture Funding

While we welcome Suffolk County Council’s announcement that they will establish a new project fund for Arts and Heritage, with a sum equivalent to that cut from their core grant programme, this does not directly address the cut to core funding. Organisations need core funding to cover their running costs and to ensure infrastructure is there to respond to project opportunities.

We are, however, committed to working with the County Council to help shape this opportunity. We want to ensure that any future arts and heritage investment addresses the Council’s strategic objectives, and delivers best value for the people of Suffolk. We therefore ask Suffolk County Council to use the next six months to meaningfully consult with our organisations and the wider cultural sector, to consider how this new investment can be spent most effectively to sustain the positive outcomes already being delivered for the County and its residents.

The painful process of the 100% cut to Arts and Culture grants, and the ensuing outcry from the public, has highlighted the complex eco-system of arts and museums funding in our region and the very important roles that our organisations have played in supporting the Council’s Health and Wellbeing agenda. We would like to take this opportunity to thank every member of the public who lent their voice to our campaign and demonstrated the importance of culture to the people of Suffolk.