GRANTS available for cultural organisations in the city could be cut by almost fifty per cent. 

That's if the budget proposals tabled by Salisbury City Council are approved in the coming weeks. 

Last year, the council had £60,000 available for cultural organisational grants - in its report for the 2023/24 budget, this would be reduced to £31,500

It comes as the council is also proposing an increase in its council tax - for some properties by as much as 44 per cent. 

Salisbury Museum currently receives £16,000 a year for events and activities aimed at local families.

This includes its under-fives Friday programme, holiday discovery days and free events such as the spring fayre, festival of archaeology and Tudor Christmas.

"These are all front-line activities that directly benefit local people", it says.

Museum director Adrian Green said: "Salisbury City Council agreed their funding for three years in 2021. We recognise that things have changed and times have got harder, however culture is part of the life-blood of this city, providing a wide range of social and economic benefits for individuals and communities.

"Any erosion of support will result in a reduction in what we can offer. It also completely contradicts the council’s previous position – which to date has been supportive (hence the three-year funding offer!)."

Salisbury City Council said: "Salisbury Museum and Wiltshire Creative are jewels in the city’s crown. We would like to be able not only to maintain our support for them, but to increase it. However, like the rest of the country we are facing difficult economic circumstances.

"If we don’t reduce our support for these cultural organisations we will have to take the money from somewhere else. We have already considered other cost-cutting options very seriously and made some other unpalatable choices.

"We will revisit this issue before the start of the new financial year in April, and would welcome constructive suggestions in the meantime."

Wiltshire Creative, which runs Salisbury Playhouse, Salisbury Arts Centre and Salisbury International Arts Festival, declined to comment.

Salisbury City Council's Finance and Governance Committee will discuss the budget on Monday, January 9.

It will then go to the full council meeting on January 16.