Caution over arts funding rise

BECTU has given a cautious welcome to the Government's increase in arts funding by £50m between 2008-2011.

However, BECTU remains concerned that this amount is significantly below the current RPI rate of inflation (3.9%) and unless there is a significant boost, especially to theatres, original production will continue to decline.

The union's General Secretary Gerry Morrissey said: "We welcome the £50m increase.

"However, we still have to wait to see how this is going to be distributed by the Arts Council England, and at this stage the subsidised theatre industry is still haemorrhaging after a number of years of below inflation increases and the drain that the Olympics are having on the overall budgets of the Department of Culture, Media and Sport."

The increase, announced in Alistair Darling's first pre-budget report on 9 October, takes the Department for Culture, Media and Sport budget to £2.2bn in three years' time.