Press Release

RAW DEAL FOR AVERAGE CONSUMER
AS LONDON SWEEPS UP ARTS FUNDING

Embargoed: not for publication or broadcast before 00.01 am Friday 25th July
Figures Revised Thursday 25th July

Over a decade after the Arts Council denounced the inequitable distribution of arts funding in England, four fifths of the population are still not getting their fair share, according to the latest issue of Cultural Trends. And now the National Lottery is making matters worse.

A new way of analysing arts funding by head of population, undertaken by the independent Policy Studies Institute, shows that access to the arts still depends very much on where you live. The losers include most of the English population, especially northerners and anyone living outside the larger cities. The winners are London, which commands levels of funding out of all proportion to its population density, and elite art forms like opera and ballet which receive substantial financial support despite being patronised by relatively few people.

Cultural Trends 27 reveals the huge spending gap that has opened up between privileged Londoners and the impoverished regions. Among its key findings:
  • In 1995/96, arts funding bodies spent a generous £39.39 per head of population on the arts in the London Arts Board Region, compared with a miserable £7.74 per capita in the South East region, £9.24 in the South West region, £9.37 in the Eastern Region, and £9.95 in the Yorkshire and Humberside region (full table included as appendix).

  • The Arts Council spent £11.86 per capita on arts and culture in London, compared with only £2.26 in the East Midlands, £2.53 in the North West and £2.75 in Yorkshire and Humberside. Nearly half (45%) of Arts Council funds are spent in London.

  • A total of £18.28 per capita from the National Lottery went to support arts and culture in London, compared with just £1.87 in the East Midlands, £1.80 in Yorkshire and Humberside and £2.29 in East Anglia.

  • Business sponsorship of the arts amounted to £5.77 per capita in London, compared with just 26p in East Anglia, 31p in the East Midlands and 49p in the West Midlands.

  • Museums in London and the South East received £4.16 per capita from the National Lottery, compared with only 7p in the North East, 11p in the West Midlands and 56p in the South West.

  • With the exception of the Birmingham Royal Ballet and the Royal Shakespeare Company, all the national clients funded by the Arts Council are based in London. As a result, 85 per cent of the £65m funds for such organisations is spent in the capital. Indeed, 61 per cent goes to support just three organisations: the Royal Opera House, South Bank Centre and the English National Opera.

'There are economic reasons why London may deserve a larger slice of the cake' says Dominic Moody, author of the research. 'London is a world-city , it attracts vast numbers of tourists and is a major financial and industrial centre. However, there is no doubt that the average consumer of the arts is getting a raw deal.'

'When the Arts Council was created in 1946, it was given the task of "decentralising and dispersing" arts and culture in England' says Sara Selwood, editor of Cultural Trends. 'Today's research shows that the Council's promise to increase the quantity of arts provision in the regions has remained largely unfulfilled. There is a continuing bias against the regions and against popular arts forms. This must be challenged if we are going to increase participation in the arts.' 

Contact:  Neil Churchill 0171 468 2236 (office)
                         0374 756 920 (mobile)

Notes to Editors:
  1. Cultural Trends 27 is available from Grantham Books on 01476 541080, priced £17.95.

  2. The Arts Council report quoted in the press release is The Glory of the Garden, published in 1984.

  3. PSI is a registered educational charity (no 313819) and has no association with any political party, pressure group or commercial interest.

Appendix : Funding Information

Summary of arts bodies' expenditure by regional arts board, 1995/96

£ per capita Arts Council of England Arts Council of England Lottery Awards Local Authorities (Arts expend. only) Sponsors TOTAL
Eastern 1.42 2.29 5.36 0.26 9.37
East Mids 2.26 1.87 5.98 0.31 10.50
London 11.86 18.28 3.43 5.77 39.39
Northern 3.59 4.75 3.52 0.52 12.54
North-West 2.53 8.11 3.14 0.62 14.47
Southern 2.37 6.77 4.21 1.08 14.48
South-East 1.35 1.16 3.51 1.68 7.74
South-West 2.41 3.39 2.94 0.41 9.24
West-Mids 3.18 3.13 3.65 0.49 10.50
Yorks & Humb 2.75 1.80 4.68 0.67 9.95
(NB: total includes figures for Craft Council and British Film Institute which have been excluded from the above table.
A graph of this data is also available.

Summary of arts funding bodies' expenditure on museums and galleries by area museum council region 1995/96.

£ per capita Museums & Galleries Commission National Heritage Memorial Fund Heritage Lottery Fund Local Authorities TOTAL
South-West 0.04 0.02 0.56 2.78 3.39
East-Mids 0.06 0.04 1.10 3.50 4.70
North 0.09 0.00 0.07 4.93 5.09
North-West 0.34 0.11 1.69 2.88 5.01
South-East 0.26 0.12 4.16 2.77 7.31
West-Mids 0.12 0.00 0.11 3.66 3.89
Yorks & Humb. 0.20 0.03 2.04 3.75 6.02
A graph of this data is also available.

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