Arts Council 'will sweeten the pill' of funding axe

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It will hold talks with organisations facing the chop from 1 April to help them survive, Andrew Whyte, interim executive director for strategy, said.

"What we're absolutely committed to doing is talking to those organisations where funds are not being renewed about coming to an arrangement about transitional funding," Mr Whyte told a meeting at Westminster organised by the Tories.

The Arts Council is axing cash to 194 organisations across England, and reducing funding to a handful more, to promote excellence and innovation.

But the proposed victims, including The Bush theatre, the Drill Hall and Dedalus publishers in London, have challenged the decisions.

Last night's gathering, organised in response to widespread anger, heard repeated calls for a halt to proceedings amid claims that the Arts Council had got its facts and figures wrong.

Jeremy Hunt, the shadow culture secretary, said they recognised the Arts Council was entitled to take these decisions. "But it also has a duty to be consistent, transparent and fair in the processes it uses. This has not been consistent, transparent and fair. I urge [Andy Burnham, the new Culture Secretary] to put a halt to this process."

One bugbear has been the lateness of the cuts announced just before Christmas - partly because the Treasury only decided its allocation to the Department for Culture in October.

Appeals are being heard this week and final decisions are due next Friday.

The Tories are calling for a parliamentary debate on the cuts at the beginning of next month.

But Mr Whyte said that the decisions would strengthen and energise the arts although some could alter on appeal. "I do expect there will be some changes."

Dedalus publishers pointed out that Christopher Frayling, the Arts Council chairman, had provided a "eulogy" for its catalogue just before its grant was slashed. Louise de Winter, of the National Campaign for the Arts, said the decisions represented a waste of previous public investment.