A decision to delay the announcement of Arts Council England's investment plans was made due to this week's government reshuffle after Rishi Sunak became Prime Minister, a former Arts Minister has said.
Speaking to Sky News today, Conservative peer Lord Parkinson, who was Minister for Arts at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport until last month said he hopes the delay will not be long.
“I know just how important it is for so many organisations up and down the country. This is why we need stability in government, the decision has been made because of the reshuffle, hopefully only for a very short period of time,” he said.
He was also asked about the risk of art budgets being cut, responding that Sunak had “stood by the arts during the pandemic, with the unprecedented Cultural Recovery Fund”.
He added that the delayed programme will be “larger than the last one”.
Arts Council England announced yesterday (Tuesday) that it was "pausing" today’s planned announcement of its National Portfolio following discussions with central government.
It added that the announcement of the portfolio would "instead be made as soon as possible within the coming days".
A reshuffle of cabinet posts was completed yesterday, with Michelle Donelan remaining as Culture Secretary.
ACE caught in the eye of the political storm
The email Arts Council England sent on Tuesday (25 October) delaying the announcement of the new national portfolio is final proof the arm’s length principle is dead.