EAST Lancashire’s arts organisations are counting the cost of funding cuts following the government’s spending review.

Arts Council England has announced a four-year plan to cut spending, after having its budget cut by £100million.

Blackburn-based Action Factory, which recently unveiled a large mural in the Whalley Range area of Blackburn, has lost £9,544 from its 2010/11 award.

Burnley Youth Theatre has lost £3,793, while the Waterfoot-based Horse and Bamboo Theatre has had £9,110 cut from its budget.

Burnley-based Mid-Pennine Arts has suffered the biggest budget cut, losing £13,029.

Spot On Rural Touring, which brings professional arts to Lancashire's rural towns and villages, loses £3,220.

Conservative Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt has asked the Arts Council to pass on the budget cuts to local organisations as the Coalition Government tries to eliminate the structural deficit by the end of the Parliament.

Leading figures in the arts world said the 6.9per cent cut was not as bad as they had feared.