Reversing cuts to Arts funding would mean the most vulnerable in B&NES would pay the price, the Council leader has said.

In response to a Halloween-themed protest outside the Guildhall and passionate pleas from artists, Councillor Tim Warren said there is only so much money in the pot – and eighty per cent of it is spent on social care.

Bath and North East Somerset Council’s Arts Development service is set to close completely in February, but opponents say it plays a vital preventative role that can pay dividends.

Theatre Bath Director, Luke John Emmett, who organised the sixty-strong protest, told the Cabinet: “If you allow these cuts to go ahead, the detrimental impact of them will be felt across the city for generations to come.

“You will irreparably damage people’s livelihoods and negatively impact tourism; particularly long-stay tourism in the city and therefore the city’s economy. These cuts are the final nail in the coffin for Arts and Culture in Bath. This administration will be remembered for silencing the Arts in Bath and destroying a once vibrant city.”

He claimed that for every £1 invested in the arts, £2 to £7 comes in, and asked what assessments had been done on the impact the cut would have on vulnerable groups, particularly young people. It is one of several departments that will either be significantly reduced or cease completely in the next two years because of “exceptional” pressures on B&NES Council’s budget. Gerard Cooke from Actors’ Union, Equity, said the Council was failing to understand the valuable role the arts play.

Tamsin Egan, who was among the protesters, said: “We’re the fifth richest country in the world. We should be able to fund the Arts. I want the Arts to be there for my family and the community to enjoy.”

Keynsham Music Festival’s Ric Davison was at the protest to highlight that the cut does not only affect Bath. He said: “Even without money [the grants it offered were previously cut], the Arts Development Service had a massive ability to give support and advice.”

Speaking during the meeting, Liberal Democrat group leader, Cllr Dine Romero, branded the cut short-sighted and said the area’s creative industries will undoubtedly suffer.

Cllr Charles Gerrish, the Cabinet member for Finance and Efficiency, said local authorities had lost out under successive Governments. B&NES Council will need to save another £50 million over the next five years.

Cllr Warren said: “These are difficult times. It doesn’t look like the end of austerity. We don’t choose to cut £50 million. It’s what we have to do. Other authorities are going bankrupt. We have to make difficult decisions.

“Would I like to put more money into the Arts? Of course. But we have to look after the most vulnerable people. To put more money into the Arts, we would have to take money out of people’s care packages – I won’t do that. It used to be that 66 per cent of our budget was spent on Children and Adult Social Care. Now it’s eighty per cent.”

Cllr Warren said the Council was lobbying Government for more powers to raise money – by introducing a levy on tourists that would be added to hotel bills, and charging for listed building planning applications, which he said make up 30 per cent of the caseload. He said if families were put in all of the homes occupied by students, the Council would get £5 million more a year in Council Tax.

A proposal to lobby Government to help the authority become self-sufficient will come before the full Council meeting on Thursday, 8th November.

Stephen Sumner