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Mayor: Don’t rely on private donors to fund the arts
Louise Jury, Chief Arts Correspondent Louise Jury, Chief Arts Correspondent
15.11.10
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Boris Johnson today called on the Government and private industry not to forget the arts, as he launched his own cultural strategy.

The Mayor warned that as public spending cuts bite, private sponsorship cannot be expected to plug the shortfall.

His warning came as Sherlock Holmes star Benedict Cumberbatch accused the Government of being unrealistic about the extent of support that can be expected through philanthropy and corporate sponsorship. “It is naive to think there are untapped amounts of money waiting to be hoovered up,” said the 34-year-old actor.

London gets 69 per cent of all private arts funding in the UK. However, sponsorship fell by eight per cent last year. And it is feared local authority budget cuts will hit the arts, as councils are the biggest contributors.

The Mayor's strategy sets out his aims of ensuring opportunities in the arts, improving London's appearance and capitalising on the cultural chances presented by the 2012 Olympics.

Mr Johnson said investment needs to continue to come from both private and public sources. London's arts and cultural organisations “can't be expected to defy the laws of economic gravity in a prolonged downturn and in the face of necessary austerity measures”, he added. “Creative thinking and innovation is vitally important to the health and wealth of this great city.”

The Mayor has only a small arts budget but stressed his authority's importance as an advocate and organiser, as well as part-funder of projects such as the restoration of the Cutty Sark.

He admitted that concern about cuts of nearly 30 per cent to the Arts Council and 15 per cent to museums, galleries and the British Film Institute is “understandable”, and that the economic downturn has already seen a fall in private sponsorship and donations.

He pledged to continue to lobby on the new points-based visa system and the way the Licensing Act hits pub music venues. But there was still no date for a “culture card” scheme giving Londoners cut-price access to the arts.

Cumberbatch said investment in the arts “pays great financial dividends”. He cited War Horse, the show developed by the National Theatre, which Steven Spielberg has just made into a film in which Cumberbatch was cast.

The actor voiced alarm at the UK Film Council's abolition “because there does not appear to be a clear plan on who will distribute money to UK film projects”, and said the BBC, with whom he made the Sherlock Holmes series, was good value for money.
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@темы: Benedict Cumberbatch, news