Creative cuts

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