Arts Council England (ACE), the body responsible for distributing over £450 million in annual public funding, has been severely criticised in an independent review for allegedly abandoning its core mission of supporting great art. The report, led by former Labour culture minister Baroness Margaret Hodge, concludes that the organisation has drifted towards trying to "change society" and enforce bureaucratic compliance, pushing artistic excellence into the background.
Box-Ticking Over Brilliance: The Core Criticisms
The damning review heard evidence from across the arts sector that ACE's current approach, particularly its flagship "Let's Create" strategy launched in 2020, has created a culture of box-ticking. Organisations reported feeling compelled to meet prescriptive bureaucratic targets on issues like diversity to secure funding, rather than being judged primarily on artistic innovation and quality.
Baroness Hodge wrote that this initiative led to a situation where bodies felt forced to "tick all the ACE boxes to secure funding". The review concluded that art and excellence had been "sidelined", with ACE appearing more concerned about organisations meeting administrative targets than fostering creativity.
Controversial Consequences and Sector Backlash
The report highlighted how these funding rules have filtered through the sector, leading to several controversial decisions. It noted that the Hastings Queer History Collective, which receives ACE backing, labelled pheasants as "queer" in an LGBT guide. In another case, the English Touring Opera dropped 14 white musicians in a bid to increase diversity.
Frustration with the associated red tape has grown significantly. Earlier this year, the prestigious Wigmore Hall walked away from £344,000 of Arts Council funding, stating it would rather forego the money than accept what it called "crippling" administrative demands.
Calls for Reform and Protecting Artistic Freedom
Baroness Hodge's review made several key recommendations. It called for the current "Let's Create" strategy to be replaced with a "new, less prescriptive" model and for a simplified funding application process with layers of bureaucracy stripped away.
Critically, the report stressed the need to strengthen the arm's length principle to protect arts funding from politicisation. "The Arts Council must remain free from political interference," Baroness Hodge wrote. "This matters. It ensures that artistic freedom is protected, that creativity is not stifled and that public trust is maintained." The review also advocated devolving more funding decisions to a regional level.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy welcomed the findings, saying the report "challenges us to do better". ACE's chief executive, Darren Henley, accepted the criticisms, calling the review "crystal clear" on the need for change and pledging that the organisation would act so people "spend less time on our paperwork and more time on their creative work".
Industry bodies, including the Society of London Theatre & UK Theatre and the Southbank Centre, welcomed the review's support for retaining an independent Arts Council and its emphasis on protecting funding from political influence.
