YOUTH theatre in York has suffered another major blow with the council's decision to halve funding to the Theatre Royal's education department.

The children's services executive member and panel meeting passed a proposal to cut funding for the programme from £20,000 to £10,000.

On Tuesday, the Evening Press reported that Stagecoach Youth Theatre had been saved by businessman Angus King's pledge to make up the group's funding shortfall following the council's decision to phase out its grant.

Viv Kind, Labour's spokeswoman for children's services, said her party would push the Liberal Democrats to find the £10,000 they proposed to cut from York Theatre Royal's education department grant.

The department delivers more than 1,000 workshops annually, reaching 24,000 people. Their youth theatre is the largest in the city - with 300 members - and one of the largest active youth theatres in the country.

Coun Kind said: "I think it's a particularly sad cut because these are the kind of things that make a huge difference to children's lives.

"This is something for kids to do which gives them other options than hanging around, but it also builds confidence and gives children a sense of belonging.

"On the one hand, I am surprised that the council are cutting Stagecoach and Theatre Royal's funding, but on the other hand I'm not, because they have got their pet projects that they set their stall by, and now they have got to find their money."

Carol Runciman, City of York Council's executive member for children's services, said: "I have received a letter from the theatre's chief executive about all the valuable work the theatre does. He has requested an urgent meeting. I am certainly looking for alternative sources of funding and I will be meeting with him in the near future."

Dave Evans, Labour's leisure spokesman, said: "The council make two payments to York Theatre Royal, one is a block grant for productions. The other is a more behind-the-scenes grant of £20,000 to the theatre to run its education programme. This funding has never been under threat before.

"The programme brings benefits at two levels. From a purely arts point of view, it's always good to work with children - we don't want a narrow, middle-aged, audience. The theatre has made huge steps forward and they now have fantastic youth numbers."

Daniel Bates, chief executive of York Theatre Royal, said: "We are currently in discussions with the city council over the education budget, and are extremely aware of the budgetary constraints for next year.

"We are still in negotiations over this matter, and are doing everything we can to ensure the fantastic work that we have done in schools over the last five years will continue to go from strength to strength."

New bid by Stagecoach to keep lifeblood council grant

STAGECOACH Youth Theatre is mounting another bid to stop its funding being cut by City of York Council.

Artistic director John Cooper has asked Coun Evans to present a 1,600-name petition to the full council meeting next Tuesday.

Earlier this week, the Evening Press reported that North Yorkshire businessman Angus King had pledged to make up the group's funding shortfall for 2006.

But Mr Cooper is eager to see the council reverse their initial decision to cut Stagecoach's £9,500 annual grant.

He said: "While we are enormously grateful for the generous offers of financial support that have arrived at Stagecoach during the past few days, it is essential for the council to recognise our long-term future will still be in jeopardy without the continuance of revenue funding support".

The petition calls for the council not to go ahead with its phased withdrawal of funding - a decision taken by leisure chiefs on Monday. Under the plans, the grant would be cut by £2,000 a year, and withdrawn entirely in 2009.

Coun Evans will also present the council with copies of letters sent to the Evening Press by Stagecoach supporters - including Dame Judi Dench, Lord Feversham and Alan Ayckbourn.

Council leader Steve Galloway told the Evening Press that a final decision on the grant would not be made until the leisure executive member and panel meeting in March.

Updated: 09:01 Saturday, January 21, 2006