Arts lose out to meals on wheels in Westminster

Westminster Council is considering proposals to cut the whole of its £350k arts project budget in 2014/15, as it tries to find £100m worth of savings over the next four years. The Council does not provide revenue funding for any local arts organisations income streams, and all its arts provision is made through project funding. A spokesperson told AP: “The arts organisations themselves are not under threat as a result of our proposals, because our funding is purely commissioning for local projects run within these organisations.” The arts budget will be ring-fenced for 2013/14, during which the Council aims to help the venues find other revenue streams. Councillor for finance and customer service, Melvyn Caplan, stressed the plans are being considered in the context of wider cuts: “If we had not reduced arts commissioning, then an alternative would have been to take money from our meals on wheels service. These are the stark choices and we’ve taken the decision to protect the most vulnerable and elderly by keeping our meals on wheels service as it is.”