The Public Campaign for the Arts has launched a petition calling on the council to reverse the cut and come to a new funding agreement with Anvil Arts, and to sustain local investment in Basingstoke and Deane’s arts and culture.

The petition states: “The cut, which takes effect from April 1, 2021, reduces the local arts and culture budget by £400,000 in one fell swoop.

“We all understand the financial pressures on local councils, but at a time when Anvil Arts is already contending with more than £1.4 million of lost income due to the coronavirus pandemic, this is too much, too quickly.”