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Plans to switch library provision in Birmingham to a mixture of council and community-run hubs to save money have been put out for consultation.

Launching the exercise, Birmingham City Council said that, based on current information on community interest and co-location opportunities, it estimates this combination of provision could allow for 25 building-based library services. 

"For more than a decade, tightening budgets for maintenance, staffing and technology have made Birmingham Libraries’ current delivery model inefficient and not effective," a statement accompanying the consultation said.

"The current budget challenges mean that library budgets have been further reduced. 

"In that time we have also seen the way people use libraries has changed with a reduction in people accessing library buildings, yet the need for free and facilitated access to information, culture, and advice is high in the city. 

"Public libraries in Birmingham have a long and strong track record of adapting to new demands and changed circumstances, therefore, an essential review and redesign of the way we provide information and library services in Birmingham offers the best route towards a long-term, effective and sustainable solution."

The consultation on the plans is open until 17 July.

Two of Belfast’s biggest outdoor music events generated £30.8m for Northern Ireland's economy, a study has found.

According to an independent report, the 2023 editions of Belsonic Festival at Ormeau Park and Emerge Music Festival in Boucher Fields, also created nearly 6,000 paid employment opportunities.

Northern Ireland's Economy Minister Conor Murphy said: "Events such as Belsonic and Emerge are considerable economic drivers providing a much needed boost for our local tourism and hospitality industry.

"Employing thousands of people each year, they also engender a feel good factor and a sense of pride that shouldn’t be underestimated."

A museum in Wales has launched a public appeal to help it remain open in the face of soaring energy bills.

Llandudno Museum says its costs have quadrupled, and the grant funding it receives does not cover the rise.

"It is definitely a threat because at the moment our energy bills are in the region of £35,000 a year, which is astronomic," Director Dawn Lancaster told ITV News

"We can't turn everything off because we have to have stable conditions to maintain the artefacts in the building."

The museum reopened in 2022 after a £1.6m redevelopment scheme partly funded by a Heritage Lottery Fund grant, with the remainder of the money coming mostly in grants from other charitable bodies, and an annual grant from Llandudno Town Council.

It says it needs to raise £80,000 by October.
 

A group of 250 community volunteers has taken over a Worcestershire theatre after its operator collapsed in 2020.

In the intervening years, the Artrix in Bromsgrove became a Covid vaccination centre and then the temporary home of the Solihull Core Theatre. However, it is now run by Bromsgrove Community Arts Group, a charitable incorporated organisation created specifically to manage the theatre.

After Solihull Core Theatre did not renew its lease on the Artrix, the community group sought a short-term lease of the venue to gauge a community-led model’s viability.

Chairman of Bromsgrove Community Arts and Worcestershire County Council Kyle Daisley told the BBC: "It's all about providing a place for the community and providing opportunities for members of the community.”

"Some volunteers are so thankful we've given them a chance and a purpose in life - that's absolutely what we're all about.

"It's not just a theatre; it's a community hub for everybody. It makes the stress and the sleepless nights all worthwhile."

An initiative which financially supports UK-based artists and companies taking work to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival has been extended by two years as a result of £1m capital funding to the Fringe Society from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).

Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer said the funding would "protect this talent pipeline and nurture the next generation of British artists [by] improving the festival’s accessibility". 

Launched last year, the Keep it Fringe fund saw more than 670 artists apply for 50 bursaries. 

Across 2024 and 2025, the extended programme will offer 360 bursaries -180 each year - of £2,500 each. Of this, £ 2,000 will be paid upfront, with the remaining £500 to support admin and reporting to be paid after the festival.

Applicants will be assessed by "external specialists" to identify those that demonstrate "the greatest need and the boldest ideas".

The Fringe Society says £900,000 of the £1m from DCMS will go directly to support artists over the two years, with £50,000 per year used to support administration and payment to freelance assessors involved in the process, as well as accessibility and event support for funded artists at during the Fringe.

The announcement comes after the Fringe Society revealed it has been turned down for support twice in the space of a month by national funding body Creative Scotland.

Shona McCarthy, Chief Executive of the Fringe Society, said: “We recognise that for many, the financial challenges of putting on a show can prevent some artists from coming to the festival. This funding will enable the Edinburgh Fringe to be more accessible than ever to artists from across the UK.”

Honorary Fringe Society President Phoebe Waller-Bridge added: “To have the government support this fund is to feel the sun come out from behind a cloud. Thank you to the Fringe Society for endlessly campaigning for artists, and thank you to those in government for recognising the cultural importance of the Fringe and the artistic freedom that defines it.”

The Irish Arts Council and Arts Council Northern Ireland have announced a one-off €400,000 (£342,500) award for “an exceptional theatre production” in the Irish language, the single largest grant from either funding body. 

The successful applicant will work closely with an evaluator which will assess the scheme's outcomes to "refine the approach in the long term". 

Applications will open on 7 May and close on 6 June 2024. The award will run for at least three years and applications will be invited again in 2025 and 2026.

Roisín McDonough, Chief Executive of Arts Council of Northern Ireland, said the "ground-breaking initiative" demonstrated the two councils' commitment to "supporting artistic endeavours that transcend borders, uniting communities through the universal language of the arts".

Maureen Kennelly, Director of the Irish Arts Council, added: "This initiative underscores our firm commitment to nurturing artistic expression in the Irish language, fostering creativity and providing rich cultural experiences for all.”