Council Culture Cuts Will ‘Harm’ Bristol

Union says the closure of the programme will hit most deprived parts of the city

Creatives in Bristol are calling for cuts to culture funding by the council to stop, saying doing so will ‘harm’ the city’s creative offer.

The council has put forward a proposal in its budget consultation to close its Cultural Investment Programme for the 2026–2027 financial year.

There are currently 26 arts organisations who receive a grant through the programme. The fund also supports many other artists and projects in Bristol.

Equity Bristol & West of England says that the cuts would ‘harm’ many of the city’s arts that are accessible and affordable.

The organisation says: “Many work in the most deprived areas of Bristol or with communities least likely to access arts and culture. The closure of the programme would have a devastating impact on the city’s arts projects, organisations and the people who benefit from them.”

Bristol creatives were forced to take a stand in the summer of 2023 about the council’s delays to arts funding.

Travelling Light launched a call to action earlier in the month. The theatre company said: “This grant provides vital unrestricted funding to support our core costs and programme, especially our work in the Barton Hill community with children and young people who wouldn’t otherwise be able to access theatre and creative opportunities.”

An open letter has been written to Bristol City Council, calling on it to ‘Protect Independent Culture’.

The current number of signatories stands at 179 and features prominent people working in Bristol’s arts and culture organisations.

The letter warns that Bristol ‘trades on its cultural reputation, yet after years of chronic under investment, the ecology that sustains the city’s creative life is beginning to break down.’

It continues: ‘There are no easy solutions, but it is time for the Council to face reality: cultural support cannot be cut indefinitely without severe social and economic consequences. Culture is not a luxury – it is the lifeblood of Bristol, and it is time the city invested in it accordingly.’

Bristol City Council’s Budget Consultation closes on 26 November 2025.

For more information: https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/Budget-2026-27/

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