Following the demise of The Byre, bosses at the Alhambra Theatre are asking for a fairer approach to arts funding in Fife.
With the Dunfermline theatre one of only two in Scotland which does not receive any public funding, theatre trust chairman Bill Fletcher said: “We haven’t been given a place at the table.”
Now he has written to Fife Council leader Alex Rowley again raising his concerns over the allocation of arts funding.
“In particular, it has been rather galling in recent weeks to see councillors lining up to save the Byre when some of those same councillors have in the past refused requests for support for the Alhambra.
“To be clear, I am not opposed to The Byre and don’t wish any ill on an other facility.
“However, surely there is a need for a level playing field in terms of the level of support and public money going into such a provision.
“In the past year, 130,000 patrons have come through the doors of the Alhambra, with no public subsidy.
“Contrast this with the much lower numbers accessing the Byre with the £258,000 of Fife taxpayers’ money alongside funding from the Scottish Government which has gone into The Byre.
“Indeed ATT Fife, the theatre trust, receives £2.3 million of Fife taxpayers’ money through Fife Council per annum to run the Carnegie Hall, Adam Smith Theatre, Lochgelly Centre and Rothes Halls.”
“I would like to see a more balanced approach to the funding of arts in Fife.
“There is a thriving artistic community and what is perhaps needed is a broader discussion about the objectives and priorities for funding in Fife,” he said.
Mr Rowley agreed with many of the points raised.
“There is no question that the Alhambra has been a massive success in terms of the amount of people it is engaging with the arts,” he said.
“I have nothing but praise for the trust and the work it is doing.
“The question Bill Fletcher is raising is one I agree with. There has to be a wider discussion in terms of that, encouraging more openness and transparency.”