Local councils will have to cut a further €1.7bn from spending on the arts and culture by the end of this year, says the national statistics office CBS.

In total, spending on the arts is expected to be down 3.7% on 2012. Per person, spending will drop from €103 to €98, the CBS said. Councils also cut average spending on the arts in 2011 and 2012 after six years of growth.

However Rotterdam, Amsterdam, Utrecht and The Hague will spend an average of €207 per person on the arts and culture. The four cities account for 13% of the population of the Netherlands but 28% of the arts and culture spending, the CBS said.