Cardiff council has been steadily making cuts and budget limits over the years, but recently there has been talk of making that much more drastic, which has worried many in a city that’s becoming ever more culturally vibrant. Naturally, there has been retaliation. This is where the Cardiff Without Culture? movement comes in. Planning to create a peaceful resistance to these cuts, the group was formed in the first week of 2016 and have lined up many meetings and petitions to which the public can contribute – openly or anonymously – over the next few months. However, with the final decision being made on Thurs 25 Feb, there’s limited time to act.
Cardiff council have stated that they intend to forward the removal of £430,000 from arts venues across the city, while making further plans for the removal of budget for arts grants to organisations; this figure stands at £68,000 currently. Venues popular with tourists and families, notably St. David’s Hall and the New Theatre, are also in the budgetary firing line. A total of over £700,000 is due to be cut from the arts and culture sector, as part of £45m of savings which need to be met by 2016/17.
A spokesperson for the City of Cardiff Council, said:
“Like all local authorities in Wales, Cardiff is facing unprecedented financial pressures. There are difficult decisions to be made and the 2016/17 budget proposals which cover a range of services have been put forward for public consultation. We are looking to change the way we deliver services by exploring innovative new ways of working, supporting communities’ and partners’ capacity to deliver services and manage assets. The arts sector is no different and we are committed to exploring new ways of working to make the necessary savings. With the arts sector, we will continue to work with the Welsh Government and our external partners to promote and celebrate Cardiff as a great place for the arts. In terms of nurturing and promoting local talent, we will continue to embrace the ‘pop up agenda’ making good use of empty space in and around the city to provide further opportunities. The Council does want to review the costs, income and the way we manage our ‘cultural portfolio’ and a question is posed on this topic in the public consultation questionnaire. Rather than closing these buildings, we are working with our partners to explore new ways to manage them. A final budget decision will be made by Full Council when it meets on 25th February 2015.”
From the annoucement’s inevitably frosty reception, the Cardiff Without Culture? movement was almost immediately born. They are a group of people, led by freelance producer Laura Drane, who feel that over the years Cardiff has neglected its art and creative side in favour of sports and wheelie bins.
Having recruited local residents, major arts leaders and organisations of all sizes, CWC? take part in meetings including a council public consultation process where they will have the chance to voice their opinions, and hopefully create some kind of compromise for the occasion.
Deputy Minister for Culture, Sport and Tourism Ken Skates AM said:
“Wales is being far better protected by this Welsh government than England has been by the UK government. The reductions in arts council funding for England have been far deeper since 2010-2011 than they have been in Wales, and that’s because we want to make sure that Wales becomes a more active and more creative nation. It’s essential that we don’t just see the funding for the arts coming direct via the Arts Council Of Wales but instead coming from a number of sources. The more people that we have involved in the arts, the more investors we have in the arts and therefore a greater degree of activity will take place.”
In its own way, the very notion of a Cardiff without culture has brought so many people together as to create a micro-culture itself. People from all over the city have assimilated for a passionate and justified cause, spreading a message of creativity and hope throughout the community. If this continues, perhaps they will actually get their way and come to some kind of compromise with the council.
Having the occasional budget cut isn’t something new to the city and by this point it has become a numb annoyance for the public, but action is rarely taken. This time, however, there’s a sense that this may be a cut too far. The public have started to band together to protect not only a necessity for our tourism and economy, but also a way of life to many and living for others. A city without culture is hardly a city to begin with.
Giles Smith, co-founder of the Turner Prize-winning artistic collective Assemble, said:
“One of the things that are probably at risk is the community of art in Cardiff, which is the thing that we really enjoyed in our residency. I just think that diversity is really important in the city and I hope that we don’t risk too much because of the cuts made by the council.”
Granted, there are some that will say that the movement is overreacting and it probably won’t affect things as much as they claim. However, is it worth the risk? It’s understandable that councils might be struggling with the continuation of austerity, but it seems unfair to cut so much funding from one particular aspect of the economy. Unfortunately, it seems that the idea of a Cardiff without culture is a threat that is steadily approaching.
In response to Cardiff Council’s plans to withdraw funding, madeinroath will be marching on Sat 6 Feb. Starting at National Museum Wales, the march will have a New Orleans-style jazz funeral theme to symbolise the death of the arts in Cardiff. While the message is obviously incredibly serious, the group want to make sure that people enjoy the march and keep it fun. After all, that’s what the arts, and Cardiff’s artistic spirit, are all about.
words AMY WIGGINS, photo JOHN CANDY