STIRLING'S art culture was dealt a major blow as the council confirmed budget cuts at a special meeting last Thursday night (February 21).

They announced The Changing Room gallery, situated within the Tolbooth, will close. The move comes as part of a range of cuts aimed at saving �9 million for 2013/14.

Alongside this, Artlink Central, an arts agency working across Forth Valley, was given a 100% cut in cultural grant funding and the popular macroberts arts centre near Bridge of Allan, was given a funding cut of nearly �15,000.

Artistic Director for the macrobert, Liam Sinclair said: "We are really disappointed that Stirling Council is proposing to make significant cuts to the grants it makes to cultural organisations. "Despite huge pressures on public finances the value of public investment in the arts and culture has been proven, both economically but also culturally and socially. "Stirling Council's contribution to macrobert is small as a percentage of turnover and so we will be able to navigate this challenge going forward, however it will of course change the association the council has with Stirling's leading arts venue." Artlink Central, first established in 1988, is a Stirling based charity with a focus on developing evidence-based practice with art in areas such as heath, disability, prisons and young people. They are very widely regarded within the Forth Valley arts community and run several initiatives aimed at supporting people through the use of art.

Director of Artlink Central, Kevin Harrison, said: "We feel there has been a complete lack of understanding by the council, we have been part of the Stirling arts community for 25 years come March and for Stirling Council not to consider us a strategic partner is destroying.

"We work with a range of people from all backgrounds and go above and beyond delivering support for people out with council services - we also use our funding very, very wisely, I don't think they realise just how much of an impact art can have on people's lives, organisations like ourselves and Adult learning deliver services that are very meanigful to those who use them.

"For the council to treat us as a small community group that takes a hand out is quite insulting." A further �52,000 cut was agreed from The Tolbooth's annual budget of �517,000, and the Stirling and District Arts Forum, which distributes grants to a number of small voluntary arts groups, lost funding amounting to �6,580.

The Changing Room, which opened in 1997, has hosted exhibitions by some of Scotland's leading contemporary artists, including Nathan Coley, Karla Black, Sue Tompkins and Hayley Tompkins, Joanne Tatham & Tom O'Sullivan and Torsten Lauschmann. The gallery will close for good on Saturday 30 March.

Commenting on the cuts, SNP councillor, Steven Paterson said: ""The Stirling area has a thriving arts and culture scene which draws tourists to our area. It would be a tragedy if all this was lost on the eve of such an enormous economic and cultural opportunity for our area next year with the 2014 Battle of Bannockburn anniversary and Year of Homecoming centred on Stirling."