News – NI campaigns for funding

Invest in Inspiration, a campaign aimed at redressing Northern Irelands arts funding imbalance, has been launched at a rally in Writers Square, Belfast, with the aim of uniting the public and arts sector in opposition to proposed government funding cuts.
Plans to slash the arts budget by a further £800,000 by 2008 would represent a 10.4% cut between 2004 and 2008, and Brenda Kent of the Invest in Inspiration action group said, Without action, by 2010 government spending per head here will be half that in Great Britain. It is just £6.13 per person a year compared to £11.93 in Scotland, £9.17 in Wales and £12.61 in the Republic [Eire], where cultural activity has helped sustain the Celtic Tiger economy. Calling on the public and the arts sector to oppose funding cuts, the campaign also claimed that the London Olympics will cost Northern Irelands arts approximately £7m in lost Lottery funding between 2005 and 2012. A website has been set up with more information about the campaign, to encourage more people to get involved. From there, a letter and postcard can be printed off and sent to the Minister for Culture, Arts and Leisure, calling for an increase in public arts funding for the arts in Northern Ireland to £10 per person.

w: http://www.investininspiration.com