Smash hit

In 2000, the arts were given an extra £100m by the government, which the Arts Council used to help the regional theatre. Other big winners have been the English National Opera and the Royal Shakespeare Company — both bailed out with £9m of extra funding.

In 1998 the Arts Council’s annual budget was £190m and it has since doubled. While the council accepts it has benefited in recent years, it is worried about some of its 1,300 clients if funding is pegged back.

For example, two of the new galleries which it funds — the New Art Gallery in Walsall and the Baltic centre in Gateshead — are facing problems. The ENO, while no longer in the mess of two years ago, is still not attracting big enough audiences.

There is some resentment in the arts world that £40m from the government has gone over the past two years to a programme called Creative Partnerships, which encourages links between schools and the arts. It is due to get another £70m over the next two years. “At a time when the arts organisations . . . are to suffer, it seems unfair that Creative Partnerships does so well,” said a theatre director. However, the scheme is close to Jowell’s heart.

There is also resentment that the new Gambling Commission will siphon off some money which would have gone to the arts and museums. “It will be very hard to help new arts organisations as start-up costs are always high,” said a council spokesman. “It could also mean that it will be much harder to bail out any arts body which in future runs into trouble.”

BUILDINGS AT RISK

More than 15,000 of England’s listed buildings are at risk, according to a new survey to be published this week by English Heritage, writes Richard Brooks.

For the first time the agency has analysed the status of its 370,000 structures listed from grade I to grade II, which are deemed to be of national importance.

The report will warn that it is becoming harder to maintain historic and important buildings because of cash restraints both on English Heritage and the Heritage Lottery Fund.

English Heritage, which oversees historic homes, gardens and parks, receives more than £100m a year from the government.

Nearly half of the grade I-listed buildings are churches or church-associated buildings.

The Heritage Counts report, due on Wednesday, comes amid growing interest in the state of Britain’s historic buildings, fired by programmes such as the BBC’s Restoration. It will also highlight concerns about how urban parks and cemeteries are being encroached upon by developments.

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