Delay blow for Creative Scotland over funding

Crucial funding decisions affecting more than 180 of Scotland’ s leading arts companies and organisations have put back until next year.

National arts agency Creative Scotland has revealed it will be unable to confirm funding deals for the next three years until the end of January – a month later than envisaged.

The delay, which affects £153 million worth of applications, has been revealed weeks after the quango admitted it was likely to cut the number of organisations on funding deals despite a surge in demand for financial help.

Others are expected to face a cut in support between 2018 and 2021 under a shake-up which could affect events like the Edinburgh Inter national Festival, Celtic Connections and the Wigtown Book Festival, as well as venues l ike Dundee Rep, the Tron Theatre in Glasgow, Pitlochry Festival Theatre and Glasgow Film Theatre.

Creative Scotland blamed the prospect of cut son dwindling National Lottery backing and pressure on the Scottish Government’s budget, to be set on 14 December. Deputy chief executive Iain Munro said: “We are committed to doing everything we can to announce these decisions as soon as possible.”