Councillor Deborah Harries performs a passionate speech in support of Birmingham's art scene
In a strong and well received speech, Councillor Deborah Harries spoke with pride today about the wide range of talented people and companies that have made Birmingham home, making the point that without that rich cultural scene is the soul of our city.
Here's her speech in full:
"Sadly, it seems likely that history will be made today, as we deprive the arts in this city of every single penny of funding, and - for the first time in a Century – not support our internationally acclaimed orchestra.
Established to be part of Birmingham's ‘civic, social and cultural welfare’, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra was the UK’s first publicly funded orchestra.
Championed by Neville Chamberlain as Lord Mayor, city councillors, right here, in March 1919, agreed a £1250 grant and Edward Elgar conducted in its first concert.
And here we are, in 2024, cutting 100 per cent of their grant. Thankfully, the councillors of the interwar years had more foresight.
Because, of course, our arts and culture hold so much more value than lines in a budget. It is the very soul of our city, its personality, its standing in the world, and why many people come to live and work here.
Just as a reminder, the cultural sector in the West Midlands is worth £1bn, it employs 50,000 people and attracts nearly 30m visitors that spend nearly £3bn.
In making these historic proposals, I would ask those opposite not to add insult to injury, by not taking responsibility for these drastic decisions.
The mantra of high inflation, increased adult social care costs, and reduced government funding of a billion pounds over the last decade is ringing in my ears.
All good reasons, I would say, to have taken more care – not less – with the funding the city council did have.
But here we are, with the potential for a further billion pounds to be taken out of the budget due to the mishandling of equal pay and the mismanagement of Oracle. And that is on top of another billion pounds already taken out of the budget for the last equal pay claims.
Clearly there is a national context, public services have been hollowed out, other councils are in dire straits, and local government funding and the services it provides needs overhauling.
But not to acknowledge the unique failings in Birmingham, that have embarrassed this city, is disingenuous, insulting to residents and quite frankly deluded.
How can any of this mess be put right, if there is no individual or collective acceptance by those opposite of what has gone wrong?
What does this now mean for our arts and culture sector, and the role the city council plays? What does it say to the rest of the country, and in fact the world, about the environment we create in this city for art to flourish?
This is the city where Charles Dickens first read a Christmas Carol to an audience, Tolkien’s boyhood imagination was sparked by Sarehole Mill and Joan Armatrading first picked up a guitar.
Will we still be able to attract international heavyweights, such as Carlos Acosta to the Birmingham Royal Ballet or the late Graham Vick to set up Birmingham Opera Company? Will we still be able to help launch the careers of the likes of Sir Simon Rattle at the CBSO or Laurence Olivier at the Birmingham Rep?
Our artistic heritage is rich, yet just this week we hear of the possible fate of Station Street, which houses the country’s oldest working cinema, its oldest repertory theatre, and the pub that launched Black Sabbath and heavy metal,
Developers can build as many fancy flats as they like, but if Birmingham is reduced to a cultural backwater, who will want to live in them?
I will join Peaky Blinder’s creator Stephen Knight in his optimism that our great art institutions will survive, but it will not be due to any help from this city council.
So therefore, I cannot support the complete wiping out of funding for the arts, as well further drastic cuts to much-needed services, whilst asking residents to pay 10 per cent more on their council tax."