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News that Manchester's Royal Exchange Theatre may make up to two-thirds of its staff redundant has prompted Manchester City Council to send a second letter to Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden, asking for urgent support for the cultural sector and a place in the taskforce that is seeking a way forward for the cultural industry.

The Royal Exchange has announced that, without trading income, it must scale back "in order to survive". A statement from the theatre said the Government's roadmap didn't give it any "confidence or clarity to be able to restart any activities in the immediate future" and that socially distanced performances were not financially viable.

"This means that we have been forced to make the incredibly hard decision to enter a period of redundancy consultation with our staff."

The City Council, which two weeks ago wrote to the Culture Secretary asking to be involved in planning for the future of the sector, has now written again, pointing out that Manchester and the wider city region has the second largest cluster of creative industries after London and the South East, so will feel the impact of the current crisis more keenly than most.

The letter says the time for action is now, and that there is a clear need for an urgent statement of what that support will be so that local government organisations, Arts Council England, and other funders can work together confidently to support and influence recovery.