A clearing in a leaden sky. After having cut municipal aid for cultural establishments and associations in the same sector for three years, the Paris City Council seems to want to close the gaps to return to the 2020 level. An additional budget of 11 million euros for culture will be subject to the approval of elected officials in March and then in July, to complete the weakened structures. “A 10% increase is unprecedented”welcomes Carine Rolland, deputy mayor in charge of culture.
Back last December, the budget for culture had been cut by almost 3%, not including inflation. The manna had then fallen from 170.2 million euros to 165.7 million in 2023. Particularly affected, the heritage presented a fall of 19%. At the Philharmonie de Paris, co-financed by the State, the city’s operating subsidy fell in 2022 from 11.2 million to 6.7 million euros; however, the City has tried to compensate with an investment endowment of 3.5 million euros. La Gaîté-Lyrique, which until then functioned as a public service delegation, has just been transformed into a concession, losing 1.2 million euros of subsidy in the process. “All budgets have hit the bone”recognizes Christophe Girard, former deputy for culture, who always watches over his sector within the Council of Paris.
In addition to the cuts, for most establishments, there is an increase in energy costs. In the 2023 provisional budget of the Philharmonie de Paris, the impact of inflation has thus been assessed at five million euros. ” We hope to climb the hill with energy savings and state aid to which we are entitled. “, indicates its general director Olivier Mantei, confident after his discussions with the cabinet of Anne Hidalgo, to find his 2020 subsidy level.
At the Institute of Islamic Cultures, electricity, whose rates have increased by 280%, already represents an annual cost almost equivalent to the artistic and cultural programming. At the Centquatre, the cost of energy jeopardizes the establishment’s balance sheet, which is nevertheless positive. “Normally we have a budget of 250,000 euros for fluids, with the proposals we receive we go to 1.4 million, do you see the scare? », advances its director José-Manuel Gonçalvès. Better yet, the Forum des images, housed in a premises in Les Halles belonging to the City Council, does not have an energy bill. “With our six million grants, I’m not saying it’s easy, but it helps ensure programming”smiles Claude Farge, its director before adding: “below, however, we would be in crisis”.
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