The trade union which has been fighting Oldham Coliseum's corner has slammed the Arts Council for 'having no understanding' of the region and has called for the devolution of its funding.

Equity, the performing arts and entertainment trade union, has been campaigning to 'Save Oldham Coliseum' from its impending closure at the end of March by calling on Arts Council England (ACE) to reverse its decision.

In November last year, the Arts Council rejected the Fairbottom Street theatre's bid for NPO funds, citing reasons from chaotic governance at the Coliseum to its financial insecurity and the state of the building.

Instead, it decided public money would be better spent on a new, cultural initiative in Oldham and has ringfenced £1.85m - the same figure which would have gone to the Coliseum - for the wider borough.

But the loss of the funds has meant the Coliseum will be closing for good on March 31, and Equity is pinning the blame on the Arts Council for the Coliseum's downfall and is calling for reform to prevent other theatres from "a similar fate".

Equity general secretary, Paul Fleming, criticised what he called a "half-baked plan" from ACE to "throw cash at (Oldham) Council in light of local uproar".

He continued: “We should be clear that we are here because of the Arts Council’s strategy, which is made by people who have no understanding of how important this theatre is to its town, Greater Manchester and the North West region’s cultural ecology."

The trade union boss said the closure presents a loss of 20 per cent of theatre acting work in Greater Manchester and 70 permanent jobs at the Coliseum - and could have a domino effect on the town's hospitality and nighttime economy.

"This is not a region, a town, or a time, to needlessly lose more jobs from a sustainable industry", Mr Fleming added.

To support the Coliseum company from March until October, the Arts Council said it had provided 'transitional' funds of £358,856 which the Coliseum applied for separately.

But Mr Fleming said the funds have been spent by the Coliseum on redundances "to reduce culture, not wages to provide it".

He also said the Arts Council had been waiting for a plan from Oldham Council for "interim producing theatre" until the new £24m theatre on Union Street is completed in 2026.

Mr Fleming continued: “There has been a lot of dissembling in recent weeks about who is responsible.

"Last week the Arts Council were clear they were expecting the local authority to come forward with a plan for interim producing theatre provision using funds earmarked for Oldham.

"Now the human and physical infrastructure which underpins this plan is gone."

He called on the Arts Council to "step in" and protect jobs, as well as a producing theatre provision in Oldham "immediately, not push responsibility onto a local authority creaking from austerity".

Victoria Brazier, Equity North West Councillor, said Greater Manchester now has only two theatres regularly producing their own work.

She said: "This certainly isn't levelling up as I understand it.

"I am demanding an urgent meeting with the Arts Council to discuss how they will ensure their funding continues to maintain the 400 paid actor weeks that Oldham Coliseum provided to our working members. 

"The loss of 20 per cent of all actor weeks in the north west is a hit our members can ill afford."

In response to the claims, the Arts Council said it will be supporting more theatre organisations than ever before with 196 across the country now under its wing, amounting to £111.9m in investment.

In the north, it said it has increased its investment by a further £4m compared to the previous year, totalling £22.5m which will be spent on supporting the employment of artists, creatives and freelancers.

An Arts Council spokesperson said: "The north has the largest number of producing theatres outside London and within our national portfolio.

"We have also invested £24 million in theatre in the north through our National Lottery Project grants funding scheme, of which £5.7 million has been in Greater Manchester.

"The Arts Council is required to invest public money responsibly and in both financial and governance/management terms Oldham Coliseum Ltd’s proposals posed too high a risk.

"However, we have always been clear that there will be ringfenced Arts Council funding of £1.85 million put aside to support a programme of cultural activity in Oldham between 2023-26."

It also clarified that its decision-making is not centralised and instead falls on the North Area Council, which is made up of cultural sector and local authority members from across the north.

The organisation continued: "From the outset, our priority has been to ensure that the people of Oldham do not miss out on the opportunity to take part in and enjoy cultural activity.

"The next step is for the Council to submit an application to us outlining that proposed three-year programme of cultural activity.

"We have been working with Oldham Council for many years, and will continue to do so, to ensure that there is strong cultural provision for artists and audiences in the borough, now and in the future."