Scottish Labour MSPs will force a Holyrood vote on reversing controversial planned cuts to arts funding.
The party will try to call for a rethink of the Scottish Government’s plans to cut £6.6 million from arts body Creative Scotland’s budget for this year.
A motion, calling for the in-year reduction to be reversed with “immediate effect” will be debated at the Scottish Parliament.
First Minister Humza Yousaf used his recent speech to the SNP conference to pledge more cash for the culture sector.
Read more: Angus Robertson defends £6.6m Creative Scotland funding cut
But this has led Scottish Labour culture spokesperson Neil Bibby said it would be the “height of hypocrisy” for SNP MSPs to vote against their motion.
Labour is to challenge the Scottish Government on the issue after the First Minister told his party conference in Aberdeen that ministers would “more than double our investment in Scotland’s arts and culture” over the next five years.
Mr Yousaf added: “This means that by the end of the five years, our investment will be £100 million higher than it is today”
The First Minister hailed this as being a “huge vote of confidence in the future of our culture sector and in the vital work of bodies like Screen Scotland, Creative Scotland and our festivals”.
However, in September the Scottish Government confirmed the £6.6 million funding reduction was going ahead – reversing a commitment which had been given by ministers in February.
Mr Bibby said: “Scottish arts and culture is facing a perfect storm and the SNP government is piling pressure on instead of helping.”
Read more: Scotland 'on the cliff-edge of a cultural recession'
He added that the First Minister’s “promise of jam tomorrow will be cold comfort to all the organisations facing collapse right now”.
The Labour MSP added: “It would be the height of hypocrisy for SNP MSPs to defend their government’s crushing budget cuts to Creative Scotland mere days after the First Minister promised a funding boost.
“This debate is an opportunity for the SNP to commit to helping the sector now and set out clear timescales for when it will receive further support.
“People in the sector want to know what these new promises on funding are worth, particularly when the SNP broke its pledge on culture funding this year.
“All parties must come together to back Scotland’s iconic arts sector by voting for Scottish Labour’s motion.”
Read more: Angus Robertson writes on Creative Scotland funding gap
The Scottish Government confirmed last month the £6.6 million funding reduction was going ahead – reversing a commitment given by ministers in February.
SNP Culture Secretary Angus Robertson insisted that “massive additional and unforeseen pressures” on Scottish Government finances due to public sector pay deals had meant such “tough choices” had had to be made.
Mr Bibby’s motion to be tabled to Holyrood this afternoon “condemns the Scottish Government’s decision to break its promise to the sector not to cut Creative Scotland’s budget by 10%” and points to the “furious reaction in response” from the sector and political opponents.
The motion acknowledges Mr Robertson has pledged that funding will be restored in the 2024/25 budget.
But it adds that Creative Scotland “has stated that up to a third of its regularly funded organisations are at serious risk of insolvency in the short term and over half are financially weak, which will require redundancies or other cost savings, and therefore considers that there is an urgent need for funding now”.
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