Cuts for arts schemes in Cumbria

Arts organisations across Cumbria are facing cuts of more than £130,000.

Arts Council England has announced a four-year plan to cut spending, with its budget cut by £100m as part of the government's Spending Review.

It announced how organisations' grants would be cut for 2011/12.

Among the organisations affected are Keswick's Theatre by the Lake, Lanternhouse, in Ulverston, and Brewery Arts Centre, in Kendal.

Organisations said while the cuts were tough, they had been braced for worse.

Manageable level

Lanternhouse executive director Andrea Hawkins said they had been dreading the cuts but they could have been far worse and they would be able to manage.

She said there was also the issue of how funding cuts to other organisations, such as local authorities, would affect them.

Ms Hawkins said they would have to scale down operations and earn more money from areas like room hire.

She said: "But of course it is going to bite and so there are going to be things we just can't do any more."

Richard Elder, from Rosehill Theatre, in Whitehaven, agreed the cuts were manageable.

The theatre's budget will be cut by about £4,500 for the year.

He said: "I don't think it will impact upon the quality or the type of diversity of work that we do."

He said they would make every effort to make sure customers would not notice a difference.