A further injection of £75m a year to England?s arts by 2005/6 has been announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, amounting to an increase in real terms of 16% on 2003/4.
The new funds will be invested across all artforms, but additionally will enable the Arts Council of England?s (ACE) pilot Creative Partnerships scheme, which aims to build bridges between the arts and schools in deprived areas, to be extended. Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell described the funding uplift as "a vote of confidence in the Arts Council?s continuing radical reforms. In fact it is a reward for that reform." Responses to the funding announcement have been generally warm and ACE Chairman Gerry Robinson has declared it as signalling the end of over 20 years of neglect of the arts. Cash allocations to national and regional museums and galleries are yet to be announced, though the Minister has given a commitment to protect the "massively successful policy of free entry to our great national collections".
Published: 29-07-2002