Commons Sense

House of Commons · Westminster Hall

Arts Council England: Funding — [MR PETER BONE in the Chair]

18 January 2023 · 17 other contributors · 14,584 words

Opened by Bob Neill Con Bromley and Chislehurst

Responding minister: Stuart Andrew

Culture, Media & Sport

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Bob Neill raised concerns about arts council england: funding — [mr peter bone in the chair] in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.

Key points

  • Bob Neill expressed concern over the Arts Council England's lack of transparency and accountability in funding decisions.
  • Neill highlighted the removal of English National Opera from the national portfolio, citing potential redundancies and closure.
  • Neill urged the Minister to intervene more directly and develop a comprehensive strategy considering economic and social impacts.

Key requests to Government

Neill urged the Minister to intervene more directly with Arts Council England, as their decisions have undermined the Government's levelling-up policy. He asked for a comprehensive strategy that considers economic and social impacts, and ensures transparency in decision-making processes.

How the debate unfolded

MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said.

Opened the debate

Bob Neill Con Bromley and Chislehurst

Bob Neill expressed concern about the Arts Council's lack of transparency and accountability in its funding decisions. He highlighted specific issues such as the removal of English National Opera from the national portfolio, which would have resulted in significant redundancies and the closure of the company if not for recent changes. Neill also pointed out that there is a lack of strategic direction and proper governance in how Arts Council England allocates funds, leading to negative impacts on arts institutions across the country.

Other contributors (17)
  • Andrew Slaughter Lab Hammersmith and Chiswick

    He criticizes the revised proposals for ENO as half thought-out or an act of Luddism, quoting Boris Johnson's statement from almost 10 years ago about the negative impact on cultural assets. I support the argument that ENO's funding should be reconsidered for its role in making opera accessible. The ENO offers subsidised tickets, free entry for Under 21s, and £10 seats, but these benefits will end after a year. Mr Slaughter questioned the lack of transparency in Arts Council England's funding decisions, noting how theatres in his constituency had maintained grants while others lost funding entirely.

  • Barbara Keeley Lab Worsley and Eccles South

    Congratulated colleagues on the reprieve for the English National Opera, but noted that the back-and-forth decision has caused anxiety among ENO's employees. Highlighted concerns over Arts Council England's funding decisions under government directive, noting a lack of strategic planning and consultation. Emphasised the importance of maintaining arts access in light of budget cuts and the impact on regional theatres and young artists. Ms Keeley requested an intervention from the Minister.

  • Caroline Dinenage Con Gosport

    Praised the Arts Council and DCMS for their effective allocation of £2 billion culture recovery fund during covid, highlighting the role of Emma Squire and acknowledging the work done by Darren Henley and Nick Serota. Emphasized that Arts Council England will invest £446 million per year in 990 organisations, reaching more than ever before despite a highly competitive application round. Cited the Hampshire Cultural Trust as an example receiving £500,000 annually for the first time, aiming to animate heritage spaces and organize community-based events.

  • Damian Collins Cons Bromley and Chislehurst

    Damian Collins congratulated the hon. Friend on securing the debate, emphasizing that the Arts Council should promote art for its own sake and provide opportunities for people to experience excellence in various arts forms. He noted the need for a clear strategy and accountability in funding decisions, highlighting concerns about the lack of certainty for major institutions like ENO. Collins argued that sudden changes can have adverse effects on regional arts and opera support, citing the Coliseum's reliance on ENO subsidies. He stressed the importance of long-term planning to enable future investments.

  • Florence Eshalomi Lab/Co-op Vauxhall and Camberwell Green

    She points out that cuts will impact smaller independent organisations working with national ones, highlighting examples such as the Omnibus theatre in her constituency.

  • Harriet Harman Lab Barking

    I urge Arts Council England to rethink the current funding round, which has no strategy and makes opera more exclusive. Welsh National Opera and ENO have lost a third of their funding, resulting in cancelled tours and reduced accessibility for younger and diverse audiences. The Britten Sinfonia will cut its education and outreach work due to losing £500,000. Glyndebourne's 50% grant reduction means no tours in 2023. Funding cuts affect regional theatres negatively as they rely on high-quality productions from these opera companies.

  • James Morris Con Nuneaton

    He questions what levelling up the arts means and argues that there is no overarching strategic view in relation to funding decisions, particularly for opera.

  • Jonathan Gullis Lab Stoke-on-Trent North

    Arts Council England's £6.8 million investment in Stoke-on-Trent from 2023 to 2026 has increased the number of national portfolio organisations from one to eight, positively impacting the city's cultural development and levelling-up initiatives. The city aims to establish an international ceramics centre with support from Arts Council England's cultural development fund.

  • Karen Buck Westminster, Lab

    She congratulates the hon. Member for securing this debate and points out that despite concessions made to English National Opera, the Arts Council's latest declaration leaves more than £50 million worth of cuts to London's arts budget over three years.

  • Kevin Brennan Lab Cardiff West

    He highlights the lack of strategy and talks about Arts Council England's decision to cut touring side funding for Welsh National Opera, which threatens the company and removes opera from Liverpool entirely. Kevin Brennan echoed concerns about the Arts Council England's decision to cut funding for the Welsh National Opera, criticising it as an 'emotional spasm' rather than a strategic plan. He highlighted the importance of opera companies like the Welsh National Opera which serve both Wales and parts of England, stressing that cutting their touring work undermines regional cultural institutions.

  • Laura Farris Con Newbury

    The Watermill Theatre in Newbury experienced a 100% cut in funding for the next three years, making it difficult to understand why the decision was made as it had met all previous criteria. The theatre's commitment to diversity and community engagement is highlighted, with its rural tours reaching 20,000 people annually.

  • Peter Bone Con Wantage

    Interjected to support Bob Neill's points about the need for strategic direction and accountability within Arts Council England.

  • Oliver Heald Con North East Hertfordshire

    The MP expressed support for the English National Opera and its role in making opera accessible to people without a traditional background in the art form.

  • Peter Bottomley Con Worthing West

    He suggests that Ministers should have understood the long-term planning needs for arts projects and should have advised Arts Council England to make changes over a six-year period instead of a six-month period. He questions Arts Council England's decision regarding the Coliseum and whether they considered the building's future after restoration efforts by Vernon and Hazel Ellis. Mr Bottomley praised the Arts Council England for its effective emergency funding during the pandemic. He expressed concern over recent cuts to the ENO and Coliseum, suggesting that decisions may have been made hastily without considering prior support from Arts Council England. Mr Bottomley invited the Minister to attend an upcoming performance of 'Carmen' at ENO, highlighting that most attendees are not Londoners. He suggested a six-week period for the Arts Council and ENO to work out a better future.

  • Rachel Hopkins Lab Luton South and South Bedfordshire

    Welcomed the importance of arts funding, highlighting its economic and social benefits in Luton. Discussed the positive impact of Arts Council England's funding on local organisations and the English National Opera's partnership with schools, which provided opportunities for young people to engage with opera. Raised concerns about a significant cut in ENO's funding despite it meeting many success criteria set by the Arts Council.

  • Rehman Chishti Con Gillingham

    He pays tribute to his hon. Friend for securing the debate and expresses concern about the timeline of the current music provision consultation, which could severely affect outstanding centres like Dynamics CIC in Medway if not done properly. He discusses forced collaboration between music education hubs, arguing that it is not the right way forward as it weakens provision in small organisations like those in Medway.

  • Scott Benton

    Suggested that some arts commentators advocate for the abolition of the Arts Council due to its alleged left-wing agenda and poor decision-making, such as providing £3 million in taxpayers' money to a company promoting controversial views. Questioned whether these decisions raise concerns about oversight.

Government Response

Stuart Andrew

I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Bromley and Chislehurst (Sir Robert Neill) for securing this debate and other Members for their thoughtful contributions. I am pleased that a number of debates on these issues have been held—both in this House and in the other place—over the last couple of months; that clearly demonstrates the ongoing interest in our incredible arts and culture. As I have stated on previous occasions, access to high-quality arts and culture needs to be more fairly spread. That is why we asked Arts Council England to ensure that funding is distributed more equally right across the country. The 2023-26 investment programme will support a record number of organisations—a total of 990—with every region in England outside London seeing an increase in funding. Levelling Up for Culture Places, a list of 109 places identified as having had historically low cultural investment and engagement, will see investment almost double, with 192 organisations receiving £130 million over the next three years. On the ENO specifically, no doubt Members have learned of the announcement that was made yesterday, which is to invest £11.46 million in the ENO for the period from April 2023 to March 2024. The Arts Council's investment in opera will continue to be well funded, with it remaining at around 40% of overall investment in music. There have been questions about the arm's length principle and criticisms of the board, but I want to make clear that were any arm's length body, including the Arts Council, to breach the terms set by the Government, we would take the steps necessary to review the matter and determine the appropriate action. No organisation should avoid scrutiny. The process is transparent with guidance provided to applicants, feedback on applications given, webinars run, and a complaints process published on its website. I believe the arm's length principle is right, but no organisation should avoid scrutiny. The Government has increased the Arts Council's core cash settlement by more than £43 million over the period from April 2022 to March 2025. This means that the Arts Council investment programme will soon be supporting more organisations in more places than ever before, all off the back of our unprecedented cultural recovery fund and ongoing increased rates of creative tax reliefs.

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