The additional funding will create a transition fund to support organisations who scored highly in Belfast City Council’s Cultural Multi-Annual Grants programme, but who would see a cut to their funding due to the high number of quality applications.

The additional funding was agreed at full council last night (1 April).

Cllr Nelson said: “I’m incredibly pleased to secure this additional funding for culture, arts and festivals in Belfast. The high amount of quality applications to the council’s small grants programme demonstrates what a thriving creative sector we have in Belfast.

“Culture, arts and festivals help make Belfast what it is, enriching the lives of everyone living here, while also attracting visitors to discover the city and everything it has to offer. Rather than delivering cuts to the sector, who often work with skeleton resources despite how much they achieve, they deserve our support and we should be working to assist them in delivering even more.

“A stronger, better supported culture, arts and festivals scene can only be good for Belfast. We now need to look at ways we can better support our creative sector going forward in the long-term. That includes working with the Department for Communities to increase funding, as well as looking at the council’s own funding levels in the future."