Arts Funding Avoids Cuts as Olympics Overspend Raids the Coffers

The Chancellor’s pre-budget report includes an increase in arts funding (in line with inflation), which comes as a relief for organisations which had been prepared for a 5% cut in budget for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).

Many museums, galleries and other organisations have suffered lately, due to huge amounts of Lottery funding being diverted to pay for the 2012 London Olympics. Concerns for the future of national “good causes” have been raised both by the National Council for Voluntary Organisations and a number of cross-party MPs, particularly the Liberal Democrats.

This marginal increase in arts funding, whilst welcome, will not go far in ameliorating the losses in Lottery funding, and will be of no help to non-arts good causes who look set to loose out altogether.