Northern Ballet orchestra cuts highlighted at Labour conference

The Musicians Union (MU) has used the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool to draw attention to proposals to cut Northern Ballet’s live orchestra from some performances on tour.

During a speech on the main conference stage, MU General Secretary Naomi Pohl raised the issue of the Leeds-based dance company entering into talks to replace its Sinfonia with pre-recorded music to save money.

Pohl said that her organisation was “really worried now about our member's jobs” and cited “standstill arts funding for the past decade” as the reason behind Northern Ballet’s financial plight. 

She also brought up the subject at a rally of Labour-affiliated trade unions. Pohl said: "They [the Northern Ballet Sinfonia] used to have 20 weeks of work a year. Now, they're looking at three or four weeks of work a year. 

“They're going to food banks to survive. This is an absolutely outrageous situation, and it's been caused by a Tory government underfunding the arts for at least a decade.” 

In a statement last week, Northern Ballet said that due to rising costs, it had “become clear that we can no longer continue with our traditional touring model” and need to “explore different options if we are to continue to bring world-class narrative ballets to audiences throughout the country.” 

The dance company’s largest funder, Arts Council England, said it “highly valued” Northern Ballet but added, “In the current economic climate, the sector faces difficult decisions; we have tried to reduce pressure by being clear with organisations that we will be flexible, recognising they may need to reduce activity to help balance their books." 

The MU says that the Northern Ballet Sinfonia's campaign was also discussed in meetings with MPs at the conference, along with pay cuts at the Royal Opera House, measures to make touring in the EU easier, and protecting freelancers from sexual harassment at work.