The Stage

Chit chat: Northcott’s no talking point for Ben

Published Tuesday 9 March 2010 at 12:25 by Tabard

Someone who finds themselves in a rather delicate position when it comes to the Exeter Northcott is culture secretary Ben Bradshaw.

As well as heading up Labour’s culture team, Bradshaw is MP for Exeter, making the Northcott his local theatre.

Normally, in such situations you’d be expecting the local MP for an imperilled arts institution to be jumping up and down, trying to make political capital - or at least a bit of a fuss - about the potential threat to the venue’s future.

But the usually talkative Bradshaw is remaining decidedly tight-lipped.

His official statement emerging from his culture department when the news broke? “The Arts Council England is working urgently with the theatre and administrator to secure the current programme and the long term future of theatre at the Northcott.”

The problem, of course, is that because of the arm’s length principle, he can’t be seen to get involved. Still, it will be a tricky one for him to sell to the Exeter voters, who would expect him to be doing everything in his power to protect their local resource. Tabard doesn’t envy him.