Basingstoke could see performers turning their backs on the town after a cash grant to theatres was slashed.
The Arts Council England cut more than £10,000 from its grant to Anvil Arts, which runs The Anvil, The Haymarket, The Forge and The Exchange cafe.
In an announcement on Tuesday, October 26, the Arts Council slashed budgets to all arts organisations across the board by 6.9 per cent to cope with a 30 per cent cut in their Government funding.
Anvil Arts saw a decrease in its annual grant from £151,657 to £141,193.
The funding cut was less than anticipated, with art organisations warned earlier this year to expect cuts of 10 per cent.
Chief Executive of Anvil Arts, Christine Bradwell, said: “Any cut is not welcome, but it could of been worse.
“Considering it was scheduled to be a higher cut, the announcement could be a described as marginal relief.”
Anvil Arts receives £1.4m in grants, with more than £1.2m coming from Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council and more than £91,000 from Hampshire County Council.
Ms Bradwell said losing £10,000 was small, relative to their £5m yearly turnover, but it could impact performers coming to the town relying on Arts Council cash.
She said: “The real issue is not us receiving the cuts, but the cuts that affect all our partners and artists relying on the council’s money.”
Grants from the Arts Council can only be spent on classical, opera and world music performances.
Ms Bradwell said these performances cost more to put on than box office takings, and grants help make up the shortfall.
She said: “High quality theatre costs more to put on than we can take in return. What may happen is that orchestras, which have hundreds of players, will have to charge higher fees and we can’t give them a guarantee, which they need to play.”
The 6.9 per cent cut is the first in a series of cuts to the theatres, with further Arts Council reductions due in April next year.
Ms Bradwell said: “For the moment we are not anticipating having to cut our programme but it is something that is not in our control.”
