There has been a surprise £600,000 U-turn on arts funding on Tyneside.
Just months after Newcastle City Council proposed cutting all of its support for the city's venues, it is now launching a fund worth more than a half a million pounds.
The council leader says that he hasn't changed his mind, but that they have found the money elsewhere.
And, if it gets approval, theatres could get council funding again by 2016.
Leader of the Council talks about new arts funding
The leader of Newcastle City Council, Nick Forbes, has been talking to us about the announcement that a new £600,000 arts fund is being set up to support theatres and arts organisations in the region.
Newcastle City Council is starting up a £600,000 arts fund for its theatres and arts organisations to apply to.
It comes after the council proposed to cut more than one million pounds of its arts funding in its last budget.
The Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg accused the council of playing politics with its decisions, but today the council said the decision made financial sense.
Councillor Nick Forbes said the money was coming from alternative revenue streams which were safe from cuts.