Boris Johnson warns No 10: Cuts to the arts will hit tourism in capital

 
diary Mayor of London Boris Johnson addresses delegates at the annual Confederation of British Industry (CBI) conference in central London on November 19, 2012. The CBI -- the country's biggest employers' organisation -- is a powerful business lobby in Britain and represents more than 240,000 companies or about one third of the private sector. This year, the group is calling for the government to target education as its number one priority as part of Britain's long-term growth strategy. AFP PHOTO / LEON NEALLEON NEAL/AFP/Getty Images
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Peter Dominiczak27 November 2012
WEST END FINAL

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Boris Johnson today warned the Government not to “choke off” London’s culture industry by continuing to cut arts funding.

In a stinging rebuke to Downing Street the Mayor said that cuts to the arts sector will hit tourism in the capital.

He told the Government not to “kill the goose that lays the golden egg” by adversely impacting this “vital London industry”.

His comments came after some of London’s top creative talents launched a withering attack on government arts policies at the Evening Standard

Theatre Awards ceremony. National Theatre director Sir Nicholas Hytner, Olympics opening ceremony director Danny Boyle, actor Stephen Fry and theatre and film director Stephen Daldry all spoke out as tough spending restrictions on the arts begin to bite.

Culture Secretary Maria Miller has rejected those criticisms and claimed that the arts sector already gets enough handouts from the Government.

In a speech that looks set to put her on a collision course with the arts world, she said last night: “Despite almost £3 billion of public funding in five years, there remains a clear tension between the arts world and the Government.

“Is £3 billion of funding not considered enough? This is not an inconsiderable figure, and it is certainly enough to suggest we think twice when figures in the arts world talk about ‘government neglect’ or a ‘clear and present danger’ to local theatre.”

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has outlined a 30 per cent cut in grant aid for the Arts Council from £452 million to £350 million by 2014/15. Hundreds of theatres, galleries and other arts organisations claim they face losing some — or all — of their public funding because of the cuts.

At the Standard’s awards ceremony on Sunday Sir Nicholas said cuts in funding were “madness”, while Fry said: “Whatever your politics, you can’t believe that art has to take a stand in the marketplace like potatoes or knives and forks or any other industrial thing.”

Mr Johnson is the most senior Conservative Party figure to attack cuts to the arts. He told the Standard: “Government largesse is not limitless but don’t choke off this vital London industry which stimulates tourism.

“One of the key reasons that people come to London is for its arts and culture. Don’t kill the goose that lays the golden egg.”

David Lan, artistic director of the Young Vic theatre, said Ms Miller “should be championing the sector, she shouldn’t be saying, ‘You’ve had a lot of money, go away’.”

The Government said that with increases in National Lottery funding, the Arts Council budget will fall “by less than five per cent in real terms”. A Whitehall source added: “The arts are hugely valuable both culturally and economically. That is why we are investing £3 billion in them and why we substantially increased Lottery funding to fill the grant-in-aid shortfall.

“We will always support the arts but we are in tough economic times and the arts must accept that, as Education and the Ministry of Defence have.”

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