Arts Council England (ACE) has placed Liverpool?s status as European Capital of Culture 2008 at the heart of its bid for increased support in this summer?s government spending review. Ensuring that the Liverpool experience benefits the whole country, is one of three key priorities. Emphasis is also placed on developing the role of England?s 1,200 regularly funded organisations, and on broadening and deepening creative and cultural entitlement for all young people.
These priorities, together with examples illustrating the impact of arts funding in recent years, have been published by ACE in ?The Case for the Arts?, a document now being sent to politicians involved in the review process. The document concludes, ?We believe that everyone should have an entitlement to high-quality creative and cultural experiences. This belief is at the heart of our case for investment in the arts for the next three years.?
The 2004 spending review will examine all aspects of government spending, establish public service agreements, and, in the words of the treasury, ?lock in? spending plans until Spring 2008. The spending review is traditionally a time of barely concealed wrangling between different government departments and a bi-annual test of ministerial muscle. In the last spending review in 2002, Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell secured an extra £75m for the arts.