THE ongoing campaign of Anvil Arts to reverse Basingstoke council’s 50 per cent funding cut was front of centre of a national newspaper column last week.

In his piece, suggesting that the UK government focus on grassroots causes rather than the interests of wealthy celebrities, The Times’ music critic and arts columnist Richard Morrison referenced the borough council’s decision to “lop” 50 per cent from the Anvil’s £800,000 annual grant — on top of the 40 per cent “whittled away” over the past seven years and a £1.4 million loss of earned income during Covid.

As previously reported, Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council announced it would be reducing its funding to Anvil Arts by at least 50 per cent at a budget meeting earlier this year.

The organisation’s CEO Matthew Cleaver went on to call on councillors to reconsider, but this was met by an open letter from the council’s leader and deputy, questioning the arts trust’s business plans, which caused confusion to Mr Cleaver who argued that the council has had quarterly reports for the past 26 years.

Weighing in on the debate, Richard Morrison wrote: “The council retorts that the Anvil doesn’t have an adequate business plan — as if 13 months of enforced closure and staff furloughs should have left the organisation in tip-top shape.

“The truth is that if this cut goes through there will be no business left to run.”

The article, entitled ‘The government could avert these arts catastrophes if it wanted to’ suggests that, while the government makes times for the ‘demands’ of “mega-rich” footballers and music festivals, every-day organisations are forced to jump through hoops to get basic help, such as that offered to organisations including the Anvil as part of the Culture Recovery Fund.

“One day we will reach a point when nobody can put on a show without a display of support for the government or without official approval. Welcome to Tory-run Soviet Britain,” he said.

Richard Morrison went on to argue that the plights of organisations such as the Anvil aren’t “sexy enough” for government attention, but warned we would ‘get what we deserve’.

He observed that, “without roots, nothing grows”, adding: “That’s an issue the government should be addressing, not the machinations of self-interested billionaires. But it’s not sexy enough for front-page headlines, and there aren’t many votes in it.

“By such cynical calculations do we now allow Britain to be run. The impact on ordinary lives and local activities will be what we deserve.”