Arts bodies furious after £83k grant plea rejected

TWO of Scotland's leading performance companies launched an attack on Edinburgh City Council yesterday after a major funding blow for the second year in a row.

Scottish Ballet and Scottish Opera are furious at being left empty-handed from the local authority's annual round of grants to arts bodies.

Council officials rejected attempts to have £83,000 of grants reinstated a year after the two groups fell victim to cuts.

However, the council has been able to award increases in funding for the Edinburgh International Festival, the Fringe and the book festival.

Scottish Ballet was forced to cut a week of performances at the city's Festival Theatre and axe education activities in the city.

Scottish Opera has warned it will have to cut extra projects in the city if the cut was repeated.

Alex Reedijk, Scottish Opera's director, said: "I am disheartened to learn of the continuation of these cuts and that the council will not support our work in its own backyard."