I AM writing to you to express my concern at the decision by Wiltshire Council not only to cut its arts budget but to achieve the saving of £89,000 by penalising one organisation, Salisbury Arts Centre, with a 100 per cent cut.

The arts centre was given less than a month’s notice of this decision which shows a remarkable lack of foresight and inept planning on the part of the council.

In a letter to me justifying their position Cllr Wheeler also revealed a lack of understanding of the nature of the arts centre, describing it as a ‘receiving house’. He said the council could not have cut the grants to the Playhouse or the festival so close to the beginning of the financial year because they would have already entered into commitments.

Does he and the council not realise the arts centre is committed to community work that requires long-term planning and investment? He goes on to raise an old chestnut about the amount of funding allocated to Salisbury in comparison to other towns in the county. This comparison fails to take account of Salisbury’s role as a cultural centre for a wide area of southern England and is a demonstration of the parochial thinking of Wiltshire Council.

The Lonely Planet Guide has named Salisbury as one of its top destinations in 2015 because of its role in commemorating the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta. The city’s range of cultural opportunities is of national importance. The enormous range of work the arts centre puts on from performances to workshops, its youth and community work, and its commissioning and exhibition work make it one of the most important arts centres in southern England.

I appreciate that things are difficult for local authorities at present but one of the signs of a civilised society is how that society values culture. I therefore hope that Wiltshire Council will find a way to re-instate its funding to the arts centre.

Peter F Mason,

Director Salisbury Arts Centre (1978 – 1981)

Newton Abbot