A SCOTTISH comic book writer has hit out at Creative Scotland for pulling funding on “treasures” like Ayr Gaiety.

Mark Millar took to social media to express his disappointment after the announcement of Creative Scotland taking away The Gaiety’s funding, calling it “crazy” to spend “half a million in public money” on Trainspotting 2 when Ayrshire “surely needed” the money more.

He said: “[Creative Scotland] half a million in public money on Trainspotting 2 (which you see ZERO return on) while pulling all funding from Scottish treasures like the Ayr Gaiety?

“I recognise investment [is] needed to attract productions, but there’s NOT A CHANCE Sony wouldn’t shoot T2 in Scotland. I loved that flick, but Ayrshire surely needed that dough more. Crazy!”

The backing of Mark Millar came following a further blow last week, when Creative Scotland announced a U-turn on funding for five ventures - none of them from Ayrshire.

Management at the Ayr theatre said the ruling, which came after an emergency Board Meeting,  meant Creative Scotland had ‘failed to address the ‘RFO Blackhole’ in Ayrshire’. 

They questioned how the decision to decline national support for an Ayrshire population of over 400,000 people could be justified.

Gaiety Chief Executive, Jeremy Wyatt commented: “Whilst we are genuinely pleased for our colleagues across Scotlan,  we are extremely dismayed with Creative Scotland’s decision making and lack of strategic dialogue.

"Failing to reinstate our funding is a major strategic error that will have substantial negative impacts on Ayrshire in the years to come. With only one per cent of the total RFO Funds reaching South of the Glasgow and Edinburgh line we fail to see how this is ensures people across Scotland have access to artistic and creative experiences.”

Jeremy continued: “The results for us, and for an Ayrshire with no benefit from a national budget of over £100 million, can only be described as cultural carnage.

"It is ironic that we were supportive of Creative Scotland’s efforts to highlight that “culture counts” and to avoid “cultural carnage” on a national level only to see it imposed more locally.”

Announcing the new funding, Interim Chairman of Creative Scotland, Ben Thomson, added: “I appreciate these decisions do not address all of the issues raised by individual applicants.

"I am sorry that some will be disappointed by our decisions.”