London Borough of Culture: Council changes explanation for funding withdrawal

10 Oct 2019

A festival left with a £30,000 deficit after Waltham Forest’s decision claims the authority is “seeking to justify a refusal to pay compensation”.

Why I bought a quilt

03 Oct 2019

Andrew Pinnock says City of Culture planners should spend less time making up positive-sounding stories they think they can sell, and more time listening to the people who make culture on their own terms.

Culture ‘falling off the list’: Aberdeen arts funding in crisis

26 Sep 2019

A 40% cut in funding over a decade, with 19% of cuts made in the past year: arts groups call for government action on the crisis facing Aberdeen’s arts sector.

London’s Olympia to become ‘world-leading cultural hub’

17 Sep 2019

A £1bn redevelopment of the events centre is expected to create a “substantial increase in both the quantity of arts and cultural activity that could be accommodated, and the quality of that activity”.

Labour could bring in tourist tax, says Tom Watson

A photo of Tom Watson sitting on stage next to a woman
12 Sep 2019

The Shadow Culture Secretary said “a crude skills and salary approach to migration simply won’t work for the creative economy”.

Five years left for rural arts?

A photo of a dance performance in a hall
05 Sep 2019

England’s rural arts leaders have serious concerns about the future of their organisations and are calling for more support – whether through Arts Council funding, partnerships with city-based venues or organisational development schemes.

What we’ve learned moving from London to Essex

Carnival dancers parading through Tilbury, Thurrock adorned in brightly coloured garments accented with a keyboard pattern
29 Aug 2019

Relocating Kinetika’s work in carnival, outdoor and participatory arts to rapidly-changing Thurrock has allowed the company to renew its purpose and increase its impact, says Ali Pretty.

Cultural Education Partnerships’ development stalls

A photo of children in a gallery with pictures on the wall
22 Aug 2019

Four years after the scheme was launched, only a third of partnerships believe they are established and delivering.

The power of collaborative communities

A photo of the atrium of the Museum of Fine Arts in Montreal
05 Aug 2019

To unlock the full value of culture, Arts Council England needs to support villages, towns and cities across the country to work together more closely, says the funder's Deputy Chief Executive Simon Mellor.

London Borough of Culture: Council U-turns on funding commitment

Photo of Waltham Forest District
02 Aug 2019

Waltham Forest has backtracked on an offer of £35k funding for a festival whose legacy formed part of the evidence used to support the council’s winning bid.

Rise in London music venues

Photo of live performance
19 Jul 2019

The reversal of a decade-long pattern of decline has been credited to changes in policy including the end of the “discriminatory” Form 696.

Decline in local authority culture spend slows

Photo of Colchester Castle
12 Jul 2019

Culture and heritage budgets across England are starting to settle as unitary authorities spend more.

Funding cuts for Birmingham arts organisations softened

Photo of Birmingham Library
05 Jul 2019

Birmingham City Council decided a proposed 30% cut would have been too “damaging”, but says there is still an urgent need to find new sources of revenue.

The feelgood factor: making flagship programmes work

A photo of an Asian women with a suitcase, a Black service man and two white women on their phones sitting on a bench in a station
27 Jun 2019

Artistic excellence and effective governance are key to the success of major public cultural programmes, writes Nigel Hinds.

Great Place scheme urged to scale down ambitions

Photo of Gloucester Carnival
21 Jun 2019

A report into the pilot placemaking programme says beneficiaries “should review the ambition of their projects against practicalities”.

Gaining confidence around compliance

Photo of Merle Reskin Theatre fire escape
20 Jun 2019

The Primary Authority scheme can help reassure arts organisations they are meeting legal requirements on health and safety, trading standards and fire regulations, explains Rob Belton.

Creative processes at the heart

Photo of a wall graffitied with the words "Together We Create!"
12 Jun 2019

The place in which a cultural organisation finds itself can determine how it thrives, survives or even dies, but many organisations are now taking the lead in helping places reinvent themselves. Anne Torreggiani explores the rise of place-shaping.

Weaving a rich tapestry

A graphic of Asian dancers, a woman playing a guitar and two people using a switchboard
12 Jun 2019

Kirklees in West Yorkshire has a vision for local development rooted firmly in its historic links to the textile and music industries, says Kath Davies.

Without help, without permission

A photo of Pride of Princes, an interactive performance
12 Jun 2019

A perpetual, community-led art project is transforming neighbourhoods in Exeter, street by street. JoJo Spinks explains why handing control of commissioning to local people has been crucial to its success.

Redefining the City of London through culture

The House of Wayward Plants: The Smithfield Greenhouse, as part of Culture Mile’s Play the Mile
12 Jun 2019

The global finance hub is forging a new identity through risk-taking alliances between its commercial, public and cultural sectors, writes Tim Jones.

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