Artistic licence

IT can be argued, as the Institute of Economic Affairs did yesterday, that popular arts do not need subsidies – their appeal should make them self-financing – and that unpopular arts do not deserve support because of their failure to sufficiently capture the public’s imagination.

By The Newsroom

Published 31st Mar 2011, 07:00 BST

Given the scale of this country’s financial difficulties, with a new report today warning that £10bn needs to be spent on improving the condition of local roads, it was inevitable that the Arts Council would see its financial leverage curtailed.

While some groups have seen their funding preserved, there are some anomalies – it seems perverse, for example, that Northern Ballet Theatre should suffer a 25 per cent cut in funding weeks after opening its new building which was funded, in part, by the Arts Council.

Such inconsistencies will undermine confidence in these financial settlements. So, too, does the lack of recognition – on the Government’s part – that this region’s thriving arts community is an integral part of tourism and leisure strategies, and that the whole of Yorkshire will suffer if theatres no longer entertain or inspire.