BELFAST City Council has unanimously endorsed a motion calling on Stormont to repeal cuts to the arts.

Councillors voted in favour of measures proposed by SDLP Councillor Séamas de Faoite on Wednesday. The motion called for a reversal in cuts to the arts and committed the Council to signing Equity NI’s latest open letter to the Permanent Secretary of the Department for Communities.

Equity NI, a union for actors and performing artists, previously sent an open letter to the Permanent Secretary in October which was backed by a number of MLAs.

Councillor de Faoite and Councillors from other parties along with over 100 Equity members and supporters held a ‘Save the Arts, Resist the Cuts’ rally at City Hall before last Wednesday's full Council meeting.

The motion was passed unanimously with all Councillors backing the call to stand up for the arts and reverse cuts to the sector.

Councillor de Faoite said: “The arts make a huge contribution to life in our city and across the North. Belfast punches well above its weight when it comes to artists, musicians, actors, writers and many other creative pursuits and if we want this to continue we need to ensure that the sector is properly funded.

"We are lucky to boast fantastic theatres, concert venues, galleries, museums and arts centres and we want to see these grow and thrive, not limping from one crisis to the next due to constant uncertainty around their funding.

“A proposed five per cent funding cut to the Arts Council NI by the Department for Communities is causing huge concern in our arts community. Given the financial pressures as a result of the cost of living emergency and soaring bills many are already struggling to make ends meet.

"A cut to funding will inevitably result in jobs losses and venues struggling to keep their doors open in the face of constant price increases and a 30 per cent real-terms cut in funding over the past decade."

Councillor de Faoite added that Belfast City Council is investing in Belfast 2024 Culture Year and City of Music. "Stormont must step up," he said.