Serious Risk - Councils will be forced to abandon the arts and other non-statutory duties without an urgent "injection" of government funding in the upcoming Budget, local authorities have warned. Society of London Theatre and UK Theatre have called the £54bn shortfall in local council funding a "serious risk to cultural provision" in England and have responded by reiterating their demand that the government strategically review public investment in the performing arts.
According to a new report submitted to the government by the County Councils Network, England’s councils face a funding "black hole" of £54 billion over the next five years, fuelled by the soaring cost of social care. Confronted with an "unpalatable trade-off" between bankruptcy and minimum services, the shortfall could lead to local councils being able to provide "little more" than care services by 2030, the report concludes.
The forecast represents a significant threat to the survival of England’s local authorities, which remain the single largest funder of culture nationwide despite a £2.3 billion real terms fall in annual spending on culture and leisure in the past 14 years. It comes as many local authorities have already slashed their budgets for the arts, with councils in Birmingham and Nottingham recently making cuts.
Now, ahead of the Budget and Spending review later this month, the CCN is warning that even more of their money will need to be diverted away from non-statutory services, including the arts, in order to keep local authorities solvent.
Coming Home - Stereophonics have announced their biggest ever stadium tour, performing in seven towns and cities next summer. Stadium Anthems will see the band come home with a final show in Cardiff's Principality Stadium. Formed in Cwmaman, Rhondda Cynon Taf, in 1992, they are the most successful Welsh band of their generation with eight UK number one albums. Other shows include Belfast, Dublin, Cork, Huddersfield, Glasgow and London. Stereophonics will also headline the Isle of Wight festival in 2025.
MOBO Awards - Newcastle will host the MOBO Awards for the first time in 2025, it has been announced. The awards have celebrated black musicians since 1996, honouring artists such as Little Simz, Stormzy and Beyoncé. Ahead of the ceremony, organisers will run the MOBO Fringe Festival, a series of activities and events celebrating black music and culture with Newcastle City Council and members of the local community. The 2025 event will take place at the Utilita Arena on 18 February.
Operation Mincemeat - A British musical that started life in an 80-seat fringe theatre in London is to transfer to Broadway next year. Operation Mincemeat has gradually built a dedicated audience since its launch in 2019, reaching the West End last year. Word of mouth and critical acclaim have seen it extended at the Fortune Theatre several times and have now helped propel the musical to Broadway.
David Cumming, one of the show's writers and composers, told BBC News: "There’s a real sense of vertigo when comparing where we started to where we are now. It’s hard to believe that our precious baby of a show has grown into what feels like a leviathan that’s now riding across the pond. It’s both exciting and daunting." The show will begin previews at the John Golden Theatre on Broadway on 15 February 2025. The British production previously won both an Olivier and a WhatsOnStage award for best new musical.
(Jim Evans)
