City council cash crisis ‘won’t stop the cameras rolling’ says studio boss
But ‘the arts aren’t a luxury’ insists Peaky Blinders creator
THE creator of Peaky Blinders says the financial crisis engulfing Birmingham City Council should not impact plans for his new TV and film studios.
The council this week signed off budget cuts amounting to at least £300 million.
But the deep anxiety the budget is causing among Birmingham’s residents were a stark contrast to the mood at an HS2 event exploring the impact the project was having on regeneration and investment in the region.
Speaking at the event, Steven Knight, creator of the Birminghamset TV drama Peaky Blinders, spoke about Digbeth Loc Studios, which has aspirations of fostering the growth of the next wave of creative talent in the city.
The studios are due to open later this year and will be the new home of BBC MasterChef and the HQ for a planned Peaky Blinders movie.
Asked about the budget cuts unfolding at Birmingham City Council, Mr Knight said: “I think when you get a council situation like this, my first concern is the people who are in much more difficult circumstances than myself.
“However, a city is its culture as well and we’re doing well after the Commonwealth Games – lots of stuff going on, lots of stuff happening in Digbeth. It’s like the shoots are coming through. We’ve got to cultivate them and make sure we look after them.
“Digbeth Loc never really depended upon public money and we began with that intention because it’s a thriving industry and we know business is going to be successful.
“But we want to be in a city which has an environment where the arts are valued correctly. Hopefully when decisions are being made, people don’t think the arts are a luxury because I don’t think they are.”
Asked about the Cultural Organisation Grant reductions, council leader Cllr John Cotton said it was an emblem of the difficult choices which had to be made amid the need to also deliver frontline services to vulnerable people. “In an ideal world I’d prefer not to be in this position but we are having to cut our cloth accordingly,” he said. “We’ve got lots of investment coming into this city, lots of people locating businesses and jobs here.” “I think there are conversations that we need to have around how we work together as a city as a whole, not just the city council, around protecting and supporting some of our cultural institutions.”
He said those conversations had already started and that the council needs to focus on how it works with others as it becomes a “smaller organisation”.
“We have no alternatives but to face these challenges head on,” he said. “We will do whatever is necessary to put this council back on a stable and sound financial footing.
“The level of savings contained in these proposals are unprecedented and the council will continue to face financial pressures as it seeks to meet its wide-ranging statutory duties and to protect those residents in the city most in need of support.”
We want to be in a city which has an environment where the arts are valued correctly Steven Knight CBE