TRADE unions will warn Prime Minister Boris Johnson against proposed higher-education (HE) funding cuts for performing and creative arts subjects in a joint open letter today.
Proposed cuts in the sector’s teaching-grant budget for 2021-2022 would halve the value of grants for arts subjects in England, with funding instead prioritised for “subjects vital to the economy and labour markets.”
In their open letter, creative unions Equity and Bectu, the University & College Union (UCU), the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain, the Musicians’ Union, Unison, and Unite warn that the Tory proposal “threatens the health and accessibility of the entertainment and education sectors, jeopardises the livelihoods of HE and creative workers and narrows training opportunities for future generations.”