A Suffolk museum director has described the county council's decision to cut core funding for arts and museums as 'short-sighted' as his organisation faces losing £14,000 of funding- 10% of its budget.

On Friday, the council announced a U-turn on plans to scrap £500,000 funding for the arts and museums sector after the Government found £600 million of funding for local councils.

Instead, a £500,000 project fund is set to be established, which can receive applications from all Suffolk's arts and heritage organisations.

READ MORE: Suffolk County Council announces plans to fund arts

However, Fraser Hale, director of The Long Shop Museum at Leiston, said there would be competition for such a project fund, which would support initiatives with clear outcomes, returns on investment and capital spend targets.

He said the museum, which showcases industrial and agricultural machinery from the past, would still need to find the money to cover its core costs and would need to look elsewhere for this funding.

The cash the Main Street museum previously received covered the cost of insurance for diverse activities delivered for the community and to subsidise the costs of school visits, community craft events and after-school clubs.

READ MORE: Arts groups hit by Suffolk County Council cuts to funding

Mr Hale said while the funding blow would not force the museum to close, the cuts might deter others from investing in the sector.

"That is one of my biggest fears. The Long Shop Museum has been very lucky. We have benefited for a long time, but that means that when it is withdrawn, we see a direct impact.

"Other arts facilities will be impacted by this announcement. The fact that the council does not see value in the cultural sector will tend to make other funds think, 'what are the risks that I am exposed to?'" he added.

READ MORE: Leiston news

However, he said the sector had learned many lessons about resilience and sustainability over the last four years and was confident that money would still be available for projects that helped to tackle social issues, such as combating loneliness and isolation.

But the museum would need to be more 'creative' in future about how it looked for funds.

"It just seems very short-sighted to remove a limited amount of money for a sector that is delivering good value," Mr Hale said.

READ MORE: Suffolk news

Suffolk County Council confirmed on Friday that due to the government announcement of £600million of funding for local councils, it now intends to propose a new £500,000 project fund to which all Suffolk’s arts and heritage organisations can apply.

Bobby Bennett, Suffolk County Council’s cabinet member for equality and communities, said: "We have been adamant since starting our budget proposals that we would seek opportunities to support the arts and heritage sector.

"The recent government announcement has presented us with such an opportunity."