An emergency petition launched by the UK-wide Campaign for the Arts has attracted nearly 18,000 backers ahead of the Scottish Budget on Wednesday.

The emergency petition states: “Over the last two years, the Campaign for the Arts has joined with the Scottish cultural sector to warn of irreparable damage to our cultural life and landscape unless the Scottish Government bolsters support for the arts. It’s now or never.

“Delivering on the commitment to invest an additional £100 million would require only a tiny fraction of the current Scottish Budget.”

Campaign director Jack Gamble states: “This is a make-or-break moment for arts and culture in Scotland. Artists and organisations have been pushed to the brink due to unsustainable funding pressures and uncertainty that must be remedied now.

“The Scottish Government has made pledges to more than double its investment in culture and to deliver three-year funding settlements. Now is the moment to honour those commitments and avert a cultural catastrophe.

“The Government has a choice in next week’s Budget – to protect and expand these opportunities with a meaningful increase in investment, or to leave the cultural sector and everyone’s arts access in jeopardy.”