Theatres and arts groups in Suffolk have reacted with dismay at the news that the county council is to stop its £500,000 funding for the sector.

A Covid relief grant of £528,000 will be paid next year to allow them to continue their work in the community, but from April 2025 there will be no core support from the county council.

A shared statement was released from DanceEast, Eastern Angles Theatre Company, First Light Festival, The New Wolsey Theatre, Primadonna Festival, Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds, and Suffolk Artlink.

It said: "While will need some time to consider the full impact of these proposals, our immediate concern is how any decision might impact the people of Suffolk.

"The proposed cut to these organisations will provide an extremely modest difference to the council’s overall finances, representing a saving of just 0.057% of the council’s 23/24 revenue budget.

"However, the ‘cost’ to our county will be so much more significant. Collectively, our organisations support 24,493 children and young people and 76,516 vulnerable people through our community engagement work.

"We also provide permanent employment for 154 staff, and project or contract employment for a further 499 staff.

"Our organisations, both collectively and individually, call on Suffolk County Council to consider the merit of a small cost saving, compared to the huge impact this will have on communities across Suffolk who benefit from our work."

Roger Quince, chair of Bury St Edmunds Theatre Royal’s Board of Trustees fears for the impact on employees: “This is really bad news.

"We have made great strides in recent years, not just in overcoming the problems created by Covid but in reaching many disadvantaged groups within the communities we serve.

"Much of this work has been funded by the county council, whose contribution we have been able to leverage with matched funding from other sources.

"These sources themselves may now be threatened. With a small staff team of only 25, who have worked tirelessly over the past few year to recover from Covid and get Theatre Royal back on its feet, the loss of county council investment will be devastating for all of us."