No funding cuts to Hong Kong arts groups for next 3 years, agency chief pledges
Hong Kong Arts Development Council chairman says agency will review grant system and save costs internally amid government’s bid to reduce spending
Hong Kong’s arts funding body has vowed not to cut financial support for arts groups and artists for the next three years, even as it undertakes a review of its grant system amid tightening public finances.
The Hong Kong Arts Development Council’s pledge on Monday comes amid a government effort to get statutory bodies to reduce spending, as reinforced by finance chief Paul Chan Mo-po’s latest budget in February.
The council, along with other government bodies, faces reductions of about 2 per cent to its recurrent subvention this financial year, as the government presses ahead with spending cuts.
Most bureaus and departments were required to reduce expenditure by 1 per cent in 2024-25 and 2 per cent annually from 2025-26 through to 2027-28, amounting to a cumulative 7 per cent across the four financial years.
“I think I can make a promise, and I think this is a responsible promise from the [council], that in the next three years, even if government funding is reduced, we will not reduce the grants to our arts sector,” chairman Kenneth Fok Kai-kong said.
“This is the council’s collective decision … a commitment we can give to the arts and culture sector.”
The council would instead aim to save costs internally and optimise how public funds were used, he added.