Ian Youngs reports on the health of established and emerging arts organisations in Newcastle, three years on from the City Council’s decision to slash funding for arts venues.
A "cultural wasteland" was the fate writer Lee Hall - who set stories like Billy Elliot and the Pitmen Painters in north-east England - predicted for his home city.
"The tumbleweed will start blowing up the cultural streets here," he warned in 2013 after Newcastle City Council put forward a plan to axe its £1.2m annual arts budget.
Opposition such as this led the council to search down the back of the sofa and eventually come up with £600,000 per year - half the previous amount - for a new cultural fund, which kicks in this week.
After a bidding process, 15 organisations have been given three-year grants. Six of those had not previously received regular council funding...Keep reading on BBC News
A "cultural wasteland" was the fate writer Lee Hall - who set stories like Billy Elliot and the Pitmen Painters in north-east England - predicted for his home city.
"The tumbleweed will start blowing up the cultural streets here," he warned in 2013 after Newcastle City Council put forward a plan to axe its £1.2m annual arts budget.
Opposition such as this led the council to search down the back of the sofa and eventually come up with £600,000 per year - half the previous amount - for a new cultural fund, which kicks in this week.
After a bidding process, 15 organisations have been given three-year grants. Six of those had not previously received regular council funding...Keep reading on BBC News