Arts centre criticised over rent hike

An arts centre in London has been criticised by a local theatre group after it was told it the rent for space it hires was going up by 42%.

The Haringey Community Press reports that Black Arts Production Theatre Ltd (BAP), which operates out of a studio space it rents from Bernie Grant Arts Centre (BGAC) in Tottenham, said they only received a month’s notice of an increase from £420 to £600 per month.

Andrew Reid, BAP Theatre’s co-founder along with his brother Richard Reid, said the group was unable to pay the increased amount and is now set to be evicted on 7 June.

He said he believes BGAC’s aim has shifted from investing in local talent to engaging outside talent.

“We were involved in the centre from the beginning, the ethos of the centre is it’s meant to be for local people and employ local people.," he said.

“The centre is meant to be reducing crime rates and diverting people away from crime and creating artists.”

BGAC said the rate is still below market value and that it had previously not increased the rent for seven years.

Azieb Pool, BGAC Artistic Director and Chief Executive, said: “We fully appreciate how tough things are for black arts organisations in the current climate; the increased financial pressures, the tough funding climate, and the constant diminishing of arts provision makes it harder than ever for brilliant organisations to do great work.

“In a bid to support the organisations within our Enterprise Studio, we have not increased our rents for over seven years, unfortunately, we are also severely affected by the changing arts sector and reluctantly have to raise the rents to ensure our own financial viability."