The arts will not necessarily benefit from the uplift in local authority funding announced by the Government. The 2010/11 Local Government Settlement confirms that councils will receive an average increase of 4%. This takes the Government’s total local authority spending to £76bn, in line with figures originally published in January 2008. Lorna Brown, Chair of nalgao, told AP that “averages conceal considerable differences… With local government spending under such pressure, it might be good news in some cases,” but added that no specific conclusions could be reached. “As none of the funding from central government is ring-fenced for arts, the decisions on how it is used will also vary,” she said. “Councils will still be facing a difficult future, with all services – statutory as well as discretionary – under pressure.” The government has always maintained that the settlement for 2010/11 (the third year of a three-year settlement) would not be changed from that previously published, other than in exceptional circumstances. Barbara Follett, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, has said that the Government will not hesitate to cap “excessive council tax increases” set by individual authorities in 2010/11.
