nme.com
22.02.2024 / 11:46
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Birmingham City Council announce “alarming” budget cuts
BBC).The cuts will also hit the city’s cultural life, with music venues expected to be impacted. Among the announced casualties are funding for the Birmingham International Dance Festival, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and the IKON Gallery.Lyle Bignon, who represents the Night Time Industries Association for Birmingham, has said: “The proposed cuts to council culture budgets confirm what many of us working in arts, culture, entertainment, music and NTE in Birmingham have known for some time.“Our city’s council, regional authorities, and key agencies have simply not placed enough value on culture over the years, despite its proven social and economic benefits.”“[These] announcements sound a major alarm for Birmingham’s creative community as well as cultural professionals and audiences across the UK,” Bignon added.The news comes at a time when the national infrastructure around live music is at a crisis point.