Sir Patrick Stewart led a delegation to Downing Street to voice concern about cuts to arts funding
Friday April 8,2011
Actor and director Samuel West has called the Government's cuts to arts funding "short-sighted" after a delegation of famous faces handed a petition to Downing Street.
Sir Patrick Stewart led the group, which also included Maxine Peake and Penelope Wilton, to deliver a letter to the Government calling for a meeting to discuss their concerns.
West, who starred in the film version of EM Forster's Howard's End, warned the Arts Council's budget cuts would affect all of society and damage the industry he described as "one of the success stories".
"It's short-sighted of the Government not to notice when an industry like this is really successful," he said. "A cut to the arts doesn't just slim down bureaucracy and take out middle managers. We've lost 206 companies' funding. They're all employers, they all employ people and if you cut a theatre you cut a place that's the hub of local community.
"If a theatre closes, the restaurant next to it closes, the pub down the road takes a hit, the people who supply stuff to the theatre, maybe they go out of business as well," he said.
"It's a tiny amount of money. We're not just here to work our arses off for 50 years and then die. The whole point of arts funding is not just that it makes money for the country, it's good for people."
Sir Patrick handed over the petition, which requests an "arts summit" involving key bodies and artists to discuss a "coherent policy" for the UK's arts sector.
The actor - whose roles have ranged from Shakespeare to Star Trek - said the arts "lie at the very centre, the very fabric of the culture, the ideology and the entertainment life of this country".
The delegation's visit came just over a week after Arts Council England (ACE) announced public funding cuts which saw some bodies lose out completely. Others saw their future spending slashed although some were promised increased grants.
The Government has told ACE to cut 15% from what it gives out to arts groups by 2015, leaving it with just under £1 billion to distribute.
West, who starred in the film version of EM Forster's Howard's End, warned the Arts Council's budget cuts would affect all of society and damage the industry he described as "one of the success stories".
"It's short-sighted of the Government not to notice when an industry like this is really successful," he said. "A cut to the arts doesn't just slim down bureaucracy and take out middle managers. We've lost 206 companies' funding. They're all employers, they all employ people and if you cut a theatre you cut a place that's the hub of local community.
"If a theatre closes, the restaurant next to it closes, the pub down the road takes a hit, the people who supply stuff to the theatre, maybe they go out of business as well," he said.
"It's a tiny amount of money. We're not just here to work our arses off for 50 years and then die. The whole point of arts funding is not just that it makes money for the country, it's good for people."
Sir Patrick handed over the petition, which requests an "arts summit" involving key bodies and artists to discuss a "coherent policy" for the UK's arts sector.
The actor - whose roles have ranged from Shakespeare to Star Trek - said the arts "lie at the very centre, the very fabric of the culture, the ideology and the entertainment life of this country".
The delegation's visit came just over a week after Arts Council England (ACE) announced public funding cuts which saw some bodies lose out completely. Others saw their future spending slashed although some were promised increased grants.
The Government has told ACE to cut 15% from what it gives out to arts groups by 2015, leaving it with just under £1 billion to distribute.
