Let's get back to '93, says Gowrie
The government should fund the arts at 1993 levels, Lord Gowrie, former arts minister and ex-chairman of ACE, has said in a House of Lords debate on the arts. In '93, he said, spending in real terms was higher than is is now, and the arts deserve "to break even, and to keep on doing so".
The arts, he said, are not scroungers. "They earn domestic and overseas revenue, international acclaim, and they employ thousands of people, both directly and indirectly.
Channel 4 drama budget increase
Channel 4's drama budget will increase by 33%, the station's chief executive has promised. The increase, to £43m, has been made possible by the ending of the "funding formula" payments to the ITV companies. This system, introduced in 1993, meant that C4 had to pay a proportion of its surplus to the ITV companies, a total of £419m between '93 and '98.
The Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich, has been allowed to draw on part of its funding for next year immediately to avoid liquidation. This will keep the theatre alive until May when, if it fails to receive stabilisation funding from ACE, it could still be forced to close.
One way out of the dilemma may be for the theatre to become a receiving house as, even if its own productions play to full houses, it still cannot cover its costs.