Festivals face funding cuts due to budget crisis

A number of well-known festivals in Gloucester are unlikely to get any council funding this year due to budget shortfalls.

Gloucester City Council has been forced to apply for an emergency £15m loan from the government, and councillors say they have to slash the festivals and events budget as a result.

The plan is to reduce events spending from a planned £348,000 to £178,500.

Caroline Courtney, cabinet member for culture and leisure, warned events such as the Three Choirs Festival might get no financial support.

The event is the world's oldest non-competitive classical music festival, which rotates yearly between the cathedral cities of Gloucester, Hereford, and Worcester.

Ms Courtney said the Global Streets programme, which brings international outdoor art work to different cities and towns in England, might also lose out, along with Refugee Week activities.

"We are looking at where we can make savings, and what that means is likely we won't be able to guarantee financial support for some festivals that we have historically," she told a meeting on 14 January, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

However, she said they would still support the festivals through marketing with Visit Gloucester.

Ms Courtney said there would be no cuts to projects tied to Together Gloucester, which is a programme of events created by communities and organisations in the city, due to funding agreements with partner organisations.

The council will also continue to fund events such as Gloucester Goes Retro and the Lantern Parade.

"We will certainly be looking at how we can increase income generation and community involvement to try and reduce the burden even further on the council," Ms Courtney said.

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