Creative cuts

Published on 29/01/2013 00:00

As Brian Ferguson observed (Perspective, 28 January), the Byre Theatre in St Andrews is the latest victim of the toxic quango Alex Salmond set up to replace the much-loved Scottish Arts Council.

Sandy Crombie oversaw much slashing and burning at Standard Life, so he is the ideal chairman of Creative Scotland as the fall-out of its perverse funding cuts begins.

Pitlochry Festival Theatre is also known to be struggling financially after the quango slashed £300,000 off the theatre’s core funding.

Creative Scotland appears to be set on a course that will see the closure of most rural theatres, leaving the only serious cultural outlets clustered in 
Scotland’s five major urban areas. I have a weakness for oxymorons such as “military intelligence”, but no good ever came from a body given an ­oxymoronic title like “Creative Scotland”.

(Dr) John Cameron

Howard Place

St Andrews