Cuts in spending on the arts and culture are likely to be less severe than expected as local councils fail to follow the tough line taken by national government, the Volkskrant reports on Friday.

Next year, the sector will be hit by a 10% decline in income from government sources, ticket sales and sponsorship, the paper says. The figure had been put at 20% by sector analysts.
The paper bases its claim on research carried out together with the Berenschot bureau.
State spending on the arts and culture is being cut by 14% or around €500m, taking total income for theatres, orchestras and other institutions down to €4.75bn.
Local councils
But while national government has reduced its art and culture budget by 24% to €750m, local council cuts average 9%, the research shows.
The research also shows that while national government subsidy cuts have focused on the visual and performing arts, local authorities have spread the pain equally across all sectors.
Nevertheless, some local councils have taken tougher action than others. Rotterdam, for example, has reduced its arts budget by 20% while Maastricht has sliced just 10% off culture spending.
The full research will be presented in Amsterdam on Sunday at the end of the Uitmarkt, the formal introduction of the new theatre season.
Should government support the arts? Have your say using the comments box below.