HUNDREDS of arts organisations have lost their funding in what have been described as “a series of painful decisions”.

Only half of applications made to the Arts Council have been successful.

From 1,333 applications, 695 were approved, with total funding down 14.9 per cent on previous years.

In the North-East, 42 out of 85 applications were successful.

Eight bids were successful in North Yorkshire.

The list includes 110 organisations, ten from the North- East, which the Arts Council is funding for the first time.

The Arts Council declined to say which groups were unsuccessful. Chairwoman Dame Liz Forgan said: “We will still be supporting excellence, exceptional talent and successful risk-taking.”

Regional director Alison Clark-Jenkins said: “Arts organisations will need to shape their operation to fit the economic reality.

“Our cultural sector in the North-East has always punched above its weight and I want to make sure that the Arts Council works with the widest range of creative organisations and people to make sure this continues.”

One of the biggest winners was Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art (Mima). Its funding more than doubled.

Mima director Kate Brindley said: “It is a really significant increase which will enable us to do more work with communities and in education, as well as build on our international exhibition programme.”

The Theatre Royal, in Newcastle, which previously received funding towards its Royal Shakespeare Company residency, was unsuccessful.

Chief executive Philip Bernays said it must now consider whether it is able to extend the residency after April next year.

One group that did not reapply for funding was Darlington Arts Centre. The borough council-run venue is under threat in the public spending cuts, but a council spokeswoman said: “Together with the Arts Council, we are considering a range of options for the future of arts in Darlington.”

North-East groups that received funding included A-N The Artists Information Company, Arc Stockton Arts Centre, Audio Visual Arts North- East, Ballet Lorent, Baltic arts centre, Bloodaxe Books, Dance City, Design Event, Gala Durham, Gem Arts, Generator North-East, Helix Arts, Inpress, Lawnmowers, Live Theatre, Locus Plus, National Glass Centre, New Writing North, North Music Trust, Northern Architecture, Northern Print Studio, Northern Stage Company, November Club, Open Clasp Theatre Company, Seven Stories, Stockton Borough Council, Tees Music Alliance, The Forge, The Great North Run Cultural Programme, Theatre Hullabaloo, Theatre Sans Frontieres, Tin Arts, Tyneside Cinema, Vane Contemporary Art, Voluntary Arts Network, Workplace Gallery and Zendeh Productions North Yorkshire groups that received funding included J-Night, Harrogate Theatre, The National Centre for Early Music, The National Rural Touring Forum, The National Student Drama Festival, Stephen Joseph Theatre and York Theatre Royal.