Bectu welcomes £10m Scottish funding for struggling theatres and workforce

The Scottish government has unveiled £10m of funding for theatres facing insolvency and redundancies. The funds will be administered through Creative Scotland and Bectu will be meeting the chief executive of the organisation on Monday.

Head of Bectu Philippa Childs said: “Bectu is pleased that the Scottish government has reacted to the intense lobbying and arguments Bectu has put forward to the cabinet secretary for culture in recent months.

“Our primary concern will be that this money is used to lift the threat of redundancy that Bectu members across Scotland are facing.

“The fact that the Scottish government has been able to find this money demonstrates how far behind the culture secretary in Westminster, Oliver Dowden, is in dealing with this crisis. The Scottish government has reacted quickly and recognised the importance theatre and performance plays to their economy.

“The Scottish government’s forward thinking and proactive approach must be replicated in Westminster to stop thousands of jobs being lost from the sector across the United Kingdom. If Westminster fails to act it will be one of the only countries in the world that has failed to identify what the arts contribute to our society and the significant role they have to play in any recovery from coronavirus.”

Earlier today Bectu warned that the current theatre storm will turn into a tsunami without government intervention as close to 3000 jobs are at risk. Read more here:  https://bectu.org.uk/news/theatre-storm-will-turn-into-a-tsunami-without-government-intervention-says-bectu/