Council promises action on state of arts funding – after figures reveal people in Sheffield get less than £10 per head in culture money

Sheffield Council will make efforts to strengthen its relationship with Arts Council England after figures revealed an enormous gulf in the amount of cultural funding the city receives compared to other places in the North.
By Richard Blackledge
Published 19th Mar 2020, 17:00 BST
Updated 20th Mar 2020, 09:53 BST
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In 2018/19, the most recent year for which accounting statistics are available, Arts Council England spent £6.40 per head of population on organisations and projects as well as distributing £3.10 per person in National Lottery funding in Sheffield.

But in the same 12-month period, just under £49 per head was invested in Manchester's cultural scene – £34.21 was spent on behalf of each resident in Leeds, and £22.53 in Liverpool.

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Previous years show a similar disparity, according to the figures which relate to local authority areas.

Amy Farry, of Museums Sheffield, looks at Richard Hamilton’s work Kent State from 1970 at the Graves Gallery. A bid for funding to revamp the gallery and library building will be a priority when plans are finalised, the city council says. Picture: Tony Johnson.Amy Farry, of Museums Sheffield, looks at Richard Hamilton’s work Kent State from 1970 at the Graves Gallery. A bid for funding to revamp the gallery and library building will be a priority when plans are finalised, the city council says. Picture: Tony Johnson.
Amy Farry, of Museums Sheffield, looks at Richard Hamilton’s work Kent State from 1970 at the Graves Gallery. A bid for funding to revamp the gallery and library building will be a priority when plans are finalised, the city council says. Picture: Tony Johnson.

Pete Massey, ACE's director for the north, said the funding body would 'love the opportunity to invest more money' in Sheffield, but that it needed 'strong partners in local government' to do so.

However, Coun Mary Lea, the council’s cabinet member for culture, parks and leisure, insisted the authority’s relationship with ACE was already 'strong and ongoing’.

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People in Sheffield get less than £10 per head in arts funding – but other North...

“Sheffield has been successful in a recent Arts Council England bid under the ‘Ambition for Excellence’ funding stream,” said Coun Lea. “This was done via the Sheffield Culture Consortium, which Sheffield Council supports.

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“The Arts Council is also supporting another consortium project called Darnall Community of Culture. The consortium received £10,000 in funding to research in order to deliver an exciting new programme in the local community.

“Sheffield Council is in process of appointing a new director of culture who will take forward future bids. Once the plans for the Central Library building are finalised, a bid for funding will be a priority.

“We welcome the positive interest Arts Council England has in working with us more in the future and we look forward to building on this relationship.”

In 2016, the culture consortium lodged a successful bid to ACE for £550,000 to fund projects.

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But in 2019 an application by Museums Sheffield to the Heritage Lottery Fund – now The National Lottery Heritage Fund – asking for nearly £100,000 to support the first phase of a revamp of the Central Gallery and Graves Gallery was rejected.

Related topics:SheffieldArts Council EnglandSheffield CouncilNorthNational Lottery