Will Arts Lose Out to Sixth Lottery Cause? Date: 26 September 1997
The Government announced this week a sixth good cause to receive lottery funding. The New Opportunities Fund will provide grants for the likes of afterschool clubs and IT training for teachers. Chris Smith, secretary for the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, stressed that the £1bn for the new fund would come for extra money generated by the success of the mid-week lottery and would not impact grants for the existing good causes, including the arts. Despite this reassurance, chairman of the Arts Council Lord Gowrie has warned that many theatres and other arts institutions are on the verge of bankruptcy. According to Gowrie, although the Lottery funding has been greater than expected, 'grant-in-aid from the Treasury has fallen by about £20m in real terms over the past four years.' He is pushing for a new contract with the Government to ensure a more workable funding solution for the arts. Amongst those companies in gravest trouble, Gowrie cited the Royal Opera House and the English National Opera, with deficits of £5m and £4m respectively.
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