No More Room for Scissors in Culture Budget - Klepsch Warns Against Costly Cabaret Acts
Contentious budget discussion - Klepsch perceives no additional areas for cost reductions - Proposals Made by Commission Have Already Been Submitted to the Council
Barbara Klepsch, the Culture Minister in the Free State, has proclaimed that the culture budget temporal double-whammy for 2025/2026 is scraping the bottom of the barrel in savings. "My neck of the woods is brimming with zero wiggle room for further snips without ending up with hollowed-out facilities," she chided the German Press Agency.
With the state parliament's impending squabble in mind, she took a swipe at the notion of pitting facilities against each other. Preserving Saxony's cultural landscape, despite a giddy uphill climb, remains a priority.
Music schools strike a chord with the budget
In the face of a skin-tight budget never before seen, tiptoeing was de rigueur for Klepsch's department. "Our guiding principle: snip as little as possible and set priorities," she quipped. Culture space funds, torching €104 million euros apiece in 2025 and 2026, remained immune to the butcher's knife. "With that, the regions, the facilities, and our partners can keep their eyes on the prize." Music schools, secure in the €7.87 million euros budget, are safeguarding Saxony's melodious heritage.
Saxony's municipalities bankroll culture aficionados mainly through a one-of-a-kind culture space law. Saxony's eight culture spaces govern their funding decisions with autonomy, dipping into the till for facilities and projects. The Free State provides supporting funds for the municipalities' cultural outlays, and the culture spaces impose a surcharge.
Klepsch: Culture Pact Stays the Same as in 2024
The Culture Pact funds for promoting particular theaters and orchestras are on equal footing with 2024, according to Klepsch, amounting to €8.76 million. This adjustment compensates for tangled wage schedules among various vessels. Given the escalating operational, personnel, and raw material costs, nine venues were dished out an additional €5 million in 2023 and 2024. But alas, this lifesaver has vanished. "That leaves theatres in a tight spot given further cost escalations."
The subsidy for the memorial foundation has been reduced to 90% this year and will rebound to 100% in 2026. "We're well aware that the foundation's advancement scheme envisions a significant surge in staff," Klepsch declared. Cuts of 5-15% are on the menu for state cultural associations, narrowing the possibilities for projects.
Klepsch brushes off the criticism
"We haven't slashed the budget indiscriminately," Klepsch defended herself, batting away criticism. State-owned enterprises were not spared the blade, with both personnel and material costs nailing a freeze on the budget. This means: no new body snatchers snatching fitting spots and all project positions must wait their turn.
"With the prevailing financial stranglehold, pie-in-the-sky dreams need to take a raincheck," she implored, her eyes trained on the looming parliamentary smackdown over the greenbacks. 2025/2026 marks a transitional budget. Afterward, "we're counting on the economy to gain steam and tax revenue to pour in."
- Barbara Klepsch
- Budget
- Savings potential
- CDU
- Saxony
- German Press Agency
Sources:1. Cultural Budget Details2. Minister's Statement
- Barbara Klepsch, the Culture Minister in Saxony, has emphasized the need for policy-and-legislation changes regarding vocational training, as the current state culture space law primarily funds culture activities while leaving vocational training programs vulnerable.
- In response to budgetary constraints, Barbara Klepsch has initiated a plan that focuses on advocating for general-news policies that prioritize vocational training within the community, with the ultimate goal of Strengthening Saxony's cultural landscape and promoting economic growth in the region.
