Arts funding cuts to London “calamitous” and “damaging” to UK, warn local MPs

A cross-party group of London MPs has warned that “calamitous” cuts to arts funding for the capital risk damaging the UK’s soft power as well as London’s culture sector, ahead of a parliamentary debate on the issue.

Both the Conservative and Labour co-chairs of the all-party parliamentary group (APPG) for London have expressed serious concern at Arts Council England (ACE) reducing its funding allocations in the capital by around £50m, announced in November last year.

Sir Bob Neill MP, co-chair of the APPG for London as well as chair of the APPG for Opera, has tabled a Westminster Hall debate due to take place this afternoon (Wednesday 18 January) and will highlight ACE’s decision to stop all its funding for the English National Opera (ENO) as part of its 2023-26 Investment Programme.

The Hampstead Theatre, the Gate Theatre in Notting Hill, and the Barbican Centre are among the other organisations that stand to have their funding cut completely from April.

Sir Bob Neill MP commented: “These calamitous cuts will wreak havoc to some of London’s best-known arts organisations, but the impact will also be felt far beyond the capital.

“The ENO is an example of a much-loved institution that now faces a hugely uncertain future, with hundreds of highly skilled jobs at risk, all for the sake of rigidly redistributing funding away from London at any cost.

“I fear these decisions will damage London’s world-leading culture sector, which in turn will harm the wider economy and the UK’s invaluable soft power. As a cross-party group of London MPs, we urge ministers to intervene.”

Although the APPG for London supports boosting investment in the arts elsewhere in the UK, it argues this should not mean levelling down London’s world-leading cultural sector, which plays a pivotal role in attracting tourists to the UK and contributing to the national economy.

The creative and cultural industries are thought to be “vital” to London’s economy. Research suggests London’s creative industries generate around £42bn a year and support one in six London jobs, while four out of five tourists say culture is the reason they choose to visit the capital.

The APPG for London also highlights there are many areas of the capital outside the city centre that remain underserved by cultural facilities and which will not benefit from the overall reduction to London’s allocations.

By Matthew Neville – Senior Correspondent, Bdaily

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