Suffolk's new £500,000 arts fund announced last week should help more bodies than currently supported, the county's cabinet has heard.

But there is not yet any clear indication of what other groups could benefit - and councillors did not get any long-term promises about its future.

As part of its budget planning, Suffolk County Council announced at the start of the month that £500,000 of core funding to theatres and museums - including the New Wolsey in Ipswich, the Theatre Royal in Bury St Edmunds and the Food Museum in Stowmarket - would cease in 2025.

After a national outcry - including concerns raised by Dame Judi Dench, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Omid Djalili - the county announced last week that a new £500,000 fund would be launched in April 2025 which would be open to more groups to bid.

Opposition leader Andrew Stringer asked how much of this funding would be made available to the nine bodies that currently get core funding.

Cabinet member Bobby Bennett told him that there would talks with arts bodies across the county over the next few weeks to draw up funding plans for next year.

Deputy leader Richard Rout said these discussions would be crucial and no decisions could be made until the sector had been consulted.

Liberal Democrat Inga Lockington asked how long the council was committed to spending money on the arts. 

Mr Rout said it was the intention that it should be an ongoing commitment - but given the difficult position of council finances it was not possible to give any cast-iron promises to fund an area that was not a statutory service for an indefinite period.

The cabinet endorsed the proposed rise in the county's element of council tax bills of almost 5% which will now be debated by the next full meeting of the council on February 15.