More than 100 arts leaders sign letter opposing council budget cuts

An open letter opposing the proposed budget cuts by Nottingham City Council has now been signed by more than 100 organisations across art, culture, community, environment, grassroots, music, theatre and more.

Stephanie Sirr, chief executive officer at Nottingham, Playhouse, is among the signatories

The letter calls for an “extension and deepening” of the consultation on the spending cuts after signatories expressed concern that they would affect the most vulnerable in the city.

It has been signed by individuals from the likes of Nottingham Playhouse, the Nottingham Comedy Festival, Nonsuch Studios, Broadway Cinema, Nottingham Contemporary, LeftLion, Hockley Hustle, New Art Exchange and Switch Up – as well as scores of individuals involved in the arts in the city.

The cuts announced by the council include swingeing savings in public transport and adult and youth services.

Nottingham City Council issued a Section 114 Report on November 29 – a blunt admission that it won’t be able to deliver a balanced budget for its 2023-24 financial year.

The letter comes in the wake of the city council issuing a Section 114 notice after it revealed a huge gap in its budget for the 2023/24 financial year.

It says: “We, the undersigned, object in the strongest possible terms to the proposed budget savings in response to the recent Section 114 notice, and the manner in which this process is being undertaken. Section 114 risks reducing our local democratic processes and we oppose this highhanded approach to Local Government.

“We are calling for an extension and deepening of the consultation process, in order that Nottingham citizens can make an informed contribution to an open debate around cuts and revenue generation. We include positive suggestions herein that would help offset the need for service reductions.

It adds: “Our greatest concern is that the suggested budget cuts focus disproportionately on frontline services that affect the most vulnerable in our society and will be detrimental to the city.”

The letter says the public consultation launched by the council has fallen at a time when many working people were on leave. Engagement events, it says, particularly those held in person, have been “limited”.

The letter adds: “The reliance on digital consultation disadvantages the very same people who will be most significantly impacted by the budget cuts. The online consultation form is inaccessible and lengthy.

“Citizens, businesses and organisations cannot be expected to make decisions based on the negligible amount of information provided in these documents. There needs to be a full declaration of proposed expenditure before any cuts are suggested or announced, as there may be a multitude of ways in which the books can be balanced with the minimum of disruption to public services.”

“We know that £100m cuts in central funding annually for the last 10 years are doing appalling damage to our city. We believe the City should be calling for radical change to local government funding and expanded city boundaries, reflecting the value it adds to its wider geography, to provide a sustainable long term future for Nottingham.

“It is time to genuinely start ‘Working Together for Nottingham’, and fully engage with businesses, cultural and community organisations, and citizens in a fair and transparent manner. We understand that decisions made at this crucial point will have ramifications for the health, well-being, and success of our city way into the future, and local people demand a say. We stand together for Nottingham and against the erosion of our local democratic processes.”