The Stage

ACE warns local councils against cutting arts spend

Published Wednesday 7 April 2010 at 12:20 by Natalie Woolman

Arts Council England chief executive Alan Davey has warned local authorities against cutting support for cultural organisations in their areas, insisting that ACE will not be in a position to make up any shortfalls in funding.

There is a widespread fear within the arts world that, as local authority budgets become tighter due to the after-effects of the economic crisis, council leaders could be tempted to make severe cuts to cultural services.

Earlier this year, local authority leaders warned that financial support for the arts could be threatened with cuts of as much as 20% from 2011 to 2014.

Speaking at an annual conference held by the Local Government Association and the Chief Cultural and Leisure Officers Association, Davey said: “We have a really strong case for sustained investment in the arts. I hope you will join us in making it.

“And while we will, of course, continue to work closely with local authorities across the country to support arts organisations, the arts council is simply not in a position to replace any lost local authority funding. We’ve got to have grown-up conversations about our shared ambitions for the arts and how they contribute to what people really want in their communities.

“We need to make sure that in ten years, we still have an infrastructure that works.”

During the course of his speech, Davey made the case for sustained public investment in the arts and invited the audience of local council representatives to take part in the ACE consultation for its ten-year strategic framework, launched earlier this year.

Chris White, chair of the LGA culture, tourism and sport board, said he was “reasonably hopeful” about the future of arts portfolios at local councils.

He said: “I think with less money around, we can actually turn that cloud into a cloud with a silver lining by thinking, we can do this a bit better, can’t we?

“The biggest figure I have heard is 20% [of cuts to non ring-fenced services, including the arts]. Well, whilst I would hate that to happen and don’t think it would be sensible, that still means that 80% is still there.”

Speaking to The Stage earlier this year, director of the National Campaign for the Arts Louise de Winter warned that a 20% cut would be “pretty devastating” if it was handed down.

A recent report written by the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives and the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy suggested that ring-fencing some budgets, such as health, might result in cuts of 20% or more to some unprotected services, which include arts and culture.

Local authorities are the second largest financial supporters of the arts in England after subsidies from Arts Council England.