Royal Scottish National Orchestra reeling from 'significant blow' after being targeted for 'severe' funding cuts in Glasgow

The Royal Scottish National Orchestra warns its role in Glasgow’s cultural life will be ‘diminished’

Royal Scottish National Orchestra reeling from ‘significant blow’ after being targeted for ‘severe’ funding cuts in Glasgow

Scotland’s national orchestra has warned it will have to scale back its work in its home city of Glasgow after being targeted with “severe” council funding cuts.

The Royal Scottish National Orchestra (RSNO) says the “critical role” it plays in Glasgow’s cultural life will be “diminished” after being told it will lose all of its local authority support over the next three years.

It is expected to cut back its performances at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, where the RSNO has a permanent base, as well as events in schools and communities across the city, as a direct result of a decision to strip the orchestra of £50,000 in each of the next three years.

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Leaders of the orchestra, which dates back more than 130 years, have described the approval of the cuts as a “significant blow” after spending months lobbying senior councillors and officials to protect its annual grant from being wound up.

The orchestra receives the bulk of its public funding from the Scottish Government and was allocated a 3 per cent increase in its recent budget proposals, taking its annual support to more than £4 million.

However, the RSNO, which has pointed out that it currently works in Glasgow on around 150 days each year, has had annual council funding of around £150,000 via arms-length trust Glasgow Life, which runs many of the city’s cultural facilities and venues.

The RSNO has been targeted under a Glasgow Life shake-up, which means it will be expected to generate more than £7 million more in income over the next three years.

A spokeswoman for the orchestra said: “The announcement that the RSNO is to face a severe reduction in its grant from Glasgow City Council is a significant blow. We recognise the economic pressures that the council faces. However, this decision means that the critical role that we play in Glasgow’s cultural life will be diminished.

“When life is hard for families and communities, opportunities to participate in cultural activities such as music and music education bring solace and hope. At a time when Glasgow Life venue hire fees and other costs are increasing at a rate greater than inflation, the consequences of the decision will inevitably and regrettably mean a reduction in performances at the Royal Concert Hall and a loss of services to the schools and communities the RSNO serves in the city.”

RSNO chief executive Alistair Mackie said: “Council funding is in such a mess now that they basically no longer afford arts funding. All this means is that there is now going to be even more pressure on the Scottish Government to maintain arts funding.”

A spokesman for Glasgow Life said: “Glasgow City Council faces a funding gap of more than £107m over the next three financial years and Glasgow Life faces a reduction in its funding as a result.

“The council provides us with a service fee to operate venues and deliver programmes and activities on their behalf. To help councillors set a balanced budget, we set out how we could increase our income and reduce costs over the next three financial years. We will have to deliver new income and savings of £9.8m.

“We met the RSNO well ahead of the budget to highlight the situation Glasgow faces and to discuss how this reduction could be structured to ensure it has as much opportunity as possible to identify alternatives to this funding.”