Following the Select Committee report, theatre critic Clare Brennan and London’s Deputy Mayor for Education and Culture Munira Mirza debate whether a greater proportion of arts funding should be allocated to the regions.
Following the Select Committee report, theatre critic Clare Brennan and London’s Deputy Mayor for Education and Culture Munira Mirza debate whether a greater proportion of arts funding should be allocated to the regions.
Clare Brennan, regional theatre critic, based in Hull
The positive thing, here, is that we are coming at this question from a shared ground of agreement. On Wednesday, you said: “The key issue affecting arts and culture – reduced arts spending across the board – affects London as much as it does the regions.” You are right – grant allocation to the Arts Council England has dropped 33% since 2010. This isn’t economy, it’s punishment. Elsewhere, you have said: “You have to fund where there is talent, growth, potential...” Absolutely right! But where is that talent, growth and potential to be found? I say: in the regions.
The culture, media and sport committee recommends that the Arts Council England (ACE) redress the imbalance in arts funding that is, at present, heavily skewed toward London. In response, Boris Johnson said: “Sacrificing this particular golden goose for a bit of glib London bashing will do little to improve cultural provision in the regions and would be an act of sabotage for one of our country’s greatest assets... Keep reading on The Observer