Art Asia, Nuffield Theatre, Turner Simms and John Hansard Gallery all face reductions in funding in real terms from the Arts Council — with Art Asia facing a cut of 63.2%.

The new Arts Council funding regime comes into operation in April 2012, and they say will be “shaped by an ambitious 10-year strategic framework against a challenging economic backdrop”.

Figures suggest the Nuffield faces an estimated 15% cut, John Hansard a 5% cut, and Turner Sims an estimated 1.2% reduction when inflation is taken into account.

Local Labour MP John Denham slated the cuts to the city’s cultural organisations, which he said are as a result of a disproportionate 30% cut to the Arts Council budget by the government.  In particular, he said he’s concerned about the reduction of Art Asia’s funding by almost two thirds.

“Arts organisations are facing huge cuts from all directions, including the Arts Council, Local Government Agency and Higher Education cuts.  It’s a disgrace that the Tories are using the deficit as an excuse for slashing arts budgets,” said Mr Denham.

“Art Asia makes a huge contribution to cultural life in Southampton — 25,000 people joined them in Hoglands Park for last year’s Mela Festival — so why have they been singled out for a huge 60% cut?”

Art Asia’s Marketing Officer Lucy-Jane Attrill said that in 2010 the organisation’s total income was Ł287,315, so that being cut by around Ł130,000 would be “significant”.

“It’s so new, I think we’re just all taking stock at the moment and working out what this does mean.

“Because we had no heads-up beforehand, it’s hard to plan for these things. It’s good news that we’ve not been completely cut, like some poor arts organisations, but obviously we’re going to have to look at what the Arts Council’s goals are and what we’re going to have to focus our work on and what we might have to stop doing as well.”

Alan Davey, Chief Executive of Arts Council England, said: “There have been some really hard choices as we had so many good applications — more than we were able to fund. In advance of the Spending Review, we said ‘cut us, don’t kill us’. Well, with the help of Lottery income, for which we are grateful, we’re alive and kicking. But we do regret that we have been unable to fund perfectly good organisations, and I know this will be taken hard by those affected.

“After a thorough process, we believe we have achieved a balance of continuity and change, and of local and national. And we’ve enabled artists and arts organisations to continue to create the great art from which so much springs. This is a collection of decisions that will mean the arts will not retreat from the important part they play in our national life”.

• John Denham MP will be a keynote speaker at the 2011 CHAOS Conference on April 4, 2011 at the SoCo Creative Hub, Bargate Centre. The event  celebrates cultural collaboration and partnership in the arts.