According to the petition from the Public Campaign for the Arts, the council last year reduced core support for local cultural organisations from £233,000 a year to £120,000.

The petition states: “If their new budget is approved, councillors in the second-most affluent local authority in England will invest £0 in the arts, for the first time in living memory.

“The impact of the pandemic on arts organisations has already been devastating. They cannot afford to lose further income, and we cannot afford to lose the vital benefits they bring to our community.”