The arts in Northern Ireland have won a temporary reprieve following a huge campaign against the cuts: rather than the proposed cuts of £4.2m the arts budget looks set to be cut by only £1.4m. Arts Council Northern Ireland currently has £13.62m to distribute, which will be going up to £13.96m in 2011/12. This rise is mostly due to a number of capital projects that ACNI is supporting, most notably with £1m of funding for the new Lyric Theatre in Belfast. Other big winners include Ulster Orchestra Society Ltd (£2.2m), The Grand Opera House Trust (£0.6m), The Playhouse (£0.2m) and Ormeau Avenue Gallery Ltd (£0.3m). However, over the years 2012–15 the budget will shrink, down by £1.4m by 2015. ACNI has welcomed the improved arts budget agreed by the Assembly, but cautions that challenges still lie ahead.
“Substantial lobbying on the arts” during the budget process has been credited with getting Northern Ireland’s Minister of Finance and Personnel, Sammy Wilson MLA, to reconsider the proposed cuts to the arts. As the budget was finalised in recent weeks, Wilson claimed: “I have tried to acquaint myself with the things that we spend money on. I went round schools, arts groups, museums and building projects…” He gave an economic justification for re-thinking the arts budget, saying: “Many people think of the arts as simply a picture hanging on a wall, but it involves a lot of employment potential – especially tourist potential – in Northern Ireland.” Over 5,000 expressions of support for the campaign against arts cuts were received by the Northern Ireland Executive, with the next most popular issue attracting less than 100 letters.
ACNI Chairman Rosemary Kelly OBE said: “As a result of the revised budget, we are able to announce the funding that our arts organisations will receive towards their running costs in the year ahead. Ninety-nine arts groups will receive a total of £10.9m.” All but two of the 101 organisations that applied for funding were successful, of which 99 were successful. Roisin McDonough, Chief Executive of ACNI said: “The overwhelming level of public support shown for the arts during the public consultation period evidently made a big impression.”