Parliament to take up the regional arts funding baton

Arts Council England (ACE) is to be the subject of a Culture, Media and Sport Committee inquiry which is seeking views on whether the geographical distribution of arts funding is fair, and whether there is any justification for the current weighting of this towards London. The inquiry will also examine the scope, scale and remit of ACE, and will be examining the economic and artistic criteria that underpin funding decisions. The Committee is inviting written evidence from those who wish to contribute. Written submissions can be sent online via a web portal which will be open for submissions until Monday 24 February. The Committee chair is Conservative MP John Whittingdale (Maldon) and its all-party members represent constituencies in Exeter, Ealing Central and Acton, Bournemouth West, Chatham and Aylesford, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Manchester, Withington, Liverpool, Walton, Paisley and Renfrewshire North and Bradford South.