‘Nothing for anywhere outside Belfast’ - concerns over arts funding

Announcing the funding award on November 11, the Communities Minister said that: “We miss visiting our venues in person and this £619k funding package for the MAC, the Crescent Arts Centre, Ulster Orchestra and the Lyric Theatre will help them survive and thrive and to be ready to welcome back audiences, when it is safe to do so.”

SDLP Councillor Rory Farrell said at a recent meeting of Derry & Strabane Council: “The Communities Minister announced funding for four flagship organisations totalling nearly £620,000. Nothing for Derry or Strabane. Nothing in fact for anywhere outside of Belfast.”

According to the Arts Council, who will have responsibility for administering the financial package: “The funding... is part of a range of measures supported by COVID emergency funding from the Department for Communities to support the arts, culture, heritage and language sectors, which have been severely impacted by the pandemic.”

A spokesperson for the Department for Communities told the Journal: “Funding was available to organisations who needed to be operating and have additional costs particularly around reopening to staff, professionals and where possible or appropriate the public. That only applied to the Ulster Orchestra, The Lyric, the MAC and the Crescent Arts Centre.

“The other larger organisations were not able to avail of the funding because they were furloughing or had redeployed staff and were not operational or, in the case of the Grand Opera House for example because of its ongoing refurbishment or like the Belfast International Festival had opted to go exclusively online.”

A breakdown of the funding will see the Lyric receive £174,804. The MAC £157,520. Crescent Arts Centre £25,590, and Ulster Orchestra £261,850.

Referring to the Minister’s announcement of the funding, Colr. Farrell also said “there was no mention of the scheme that this money was coming from. It was just that four Belfast organisations had been offered additional funding support.”

He added: “We’ve said right from the outset of this funding exercise that organisations, venues and individuals from across this council area should get a fair share of funding and that it should be allocated in a fair, equitable and transparent way.”

Colr. Farrell later proposed that Council write to the Communities Minister and the Arts Council “to understand the process around this funding announcement, how the organisations were identified, what was the criteria and did they actually apply for it.”

The proposal was unanimously supported by all councillors.