News – Lammy increases pressure on ACE

Culture Minister David Lammy has made a renewed call for arts organisations to increase their engagement with the public. In a speech to the Child Poverty Action Group about the role of the arts in challenging the poverty of aspiration, he repeated calls for arts organisations to ensure their work reaches all sectors of society and fulfils a democratic vision for culture.
Speaking of the role of Arts Council England (ACE) he said the organisation needed to get closer to the public, not to keep a distance. He also referred to a crisis of legitimacy in some of our cultural organisations. Following a speech he made in January about the need for ACE to reform, his comments are likely to be construed as a further warning about the organisations future.