West Yorkshire Playhouse receives inflationary rise
February 1, 2008
Following today’s announcement by Arts Council England, West Yorkshire Playhouse is able to confirm that it will receive an annual 2.7% increase on its current funding level in line with inflation, for the three year period between 2008 and 2011.
As a result of this increase, the annual grant for West Yorkshire Playhouse via Arts Council England will increase to £1 533 147 in 2008-9, rising to £1 574 542 in 09/10 and then £1 617 054 in 10/11. West Yorkshire Playhouse is one of a number of arts organisations to receive an inflationary rise following the Government’s Comprehensive Spending Review, which sees an extra £50 million investment in the arts via Arts Council England between 2008 and 2011.
On news of the inflationary rise, Playhouse Artistic Director and Chief Executive Ian Brown said:
Knowing that inflationary funding from Arts Council England (ACE) is secure for the next three years means that we can now plan our artistic programme for that period with confidence. The decision to maintain our funding at current levels is an endorsement of the exciting, diverse and risk taking work we have been doing and our commitment to producing new work and encouraging new talent. It is also a recognition of our longstanding commitment to engaging with the diverse communities of West Yorkshire.
Taking a step back to look at the national picture, the last few weeks have been a worrying time. Some organisations have faced drastic reductions or total cuts in their funding. While recognising that supporting new companies is important and that funding is not necessarily for life, it needs a concerted effort from the Arts Council to sit down with its clients to work out a way of making hard decisions both effectively and openly. This would ensure that trust and meaningful dialogue could be re-established, enabling the implementation of some of the findings in the McMaster Review on excellence in the arts.
The inflationary increase is the minimum needed to ensure that the artistic work at West Yorkshire Playhouse is able to flourish, thereby attracting the best talents in performance, directing and writing. Subsidy from Arts Council England (which represents 25% of the theatre’s annual turnover) will also continue to make possible fruitful collaborations with the UK’s other leading theatres and independent producers. It also ensures that the extensive community and education programme provided by the Playhouse Arts Development team can continue at its current level.
The forthcoming season at West Yorkshire Playhouse which features three World Premieres and a UK Premiere positively demonstrates the breadth of work that can be achieved through realistic financial support for the arts from Government. Figures from Autumn 2007 also show that investment reaps substantial dividends. West Yorkshire Playhouse figures from 2006/7 showed a 12.5% increase in audiences on the previous year and the highest recorded Box Office income since the theatre’s opening in 1990. The annual economic impact of West Yorkshire Playhouse (£21 000 000) is estimated to be almost ten times greater than total public subsidy received.