'An act of cultural vandalism': How a London council took an axe to the arts

“There’s nothing in the local area. Over time, it all disappeared. What will be left if we don’t have a theatre?”

A Back The Beck protest outside Uxbridge station in October

Morning — it’s no secret that some of London’s boroughs are in dire financial straits, having been pushed into the red by the combination of austerity and extra pressure on services, like rising homelessness. But in west London, budget cuts seem to have been concentrated on one particular part of life: the local arts scene.

Today we bring you an investigation by Francesca Specter, who’s been looking into Hillingdon council’s decision to withdraw support for a theatre in Hayes. The prospect of the Beck Theatre shutting forever would be bad enough for the locals who’ve used it for decades, but it’s an especially bitter blow given what’s already closed in the area. Libraries and youth centres have recently been shut or slated for demolition, while rent for council-owned spaces used by cultural clubs has surged. “There’s not a lot to do in the area and the Beck Theatre is a safe haven,” one resident tells Francesca.

So now begins a fightback. Among those involved in the campaign to save the Beck Theatre is John McDonnell, the local MP and previously Labour’s shadow chancellor under Jeremy Corbyn. He tells Francesca the closure is “an act of cultural vandalism” by a council embarking on a programme of “asset stripping”.

How a London council took an axe to the arts is below.

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Inside the ‘managed decline’ of Hillingdon's arts scene

By Francesca Specter

Inside the Beck Theatre in Hayes

Last month, on October 10, a group gathered outside Uxbridge station in west London, singing ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’. From afar, you might have mistaken them for football fans. But as you approached, you would spot a sea of red placards, held up by local residents aged from eight to 80, emblazoned with a message: “Back The Beck:.