Reaction to Arts Council decision on Battersea Arts Centre funding

color:black;mso-themecolor:text1">The Arts Council’s grant in aid budget is down 14.9%, meaning cuts which have resulted in a national portfolio of 695 organisations compared to the previously regularly funded 849. Battersea Arts Centre (BAC) remains one of them following today’s announcement as to how funding will be allocated, although it is getting 11% less than before.

 

Battersea Arts Centre asked on Twitter: “…How

can we work together to transform electorate's view of value of arts and

creativity? #artsfunding” 

To which @awarearose responded: "Collaboration

not information @battersea_arts How can we work together to transform

electorate's value of arts and creativity? #artsfunding"

Joint Artistic Director of BAC David

Jubb tweeted: "Interesting to see how many new NPOs and funding uplifts are for artists and companies that have emerged

from BAC @battersea_arts".  Punchdrunk

is an immersive theatre company that saw a funding increase of 141% - it was

responsible for a show called The Masque of the Red Death on at BAC in 2007.

Alan Davey, Chief

Executive of Arts Council England, said: “There have been some really hard

choices as we had so many good applications - more than we were able to fund.

In advance of the Spending Review, we said "cut us, don't kill us".

Well, with the help of Lottery income, for which we are grateful, we're alive

and kicking. But we do regret that we have been unable to fund perfectly good

organisations, and I know this will be taken hard by those affected.”

Meanwhile, The Rose theatre in Kingston’s artistic

director Stephen Unwin reckons the Arts Council favours East London over West

when it comes to funding.

Whats On Stage quotes him as saying: “...the funding situation in south-west London is now worse than ever and

the contrast with east London – especially the Olympic Boroughs – is stark.”

Commenting on the Arts Council funding figures @Helzbels

on Twitter said: “Battersea Arts Centre -11%, Barbican Centre

+108.7%”

110 new organisations are being funded.