Page 561 - Liverpool Philharmonic 22-23 Season Coverage Book

Youth Session Orchestra at the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. Picture credit: Brian
Roberts
And while London is still the biggest beneficiary of Arts Council funding
(£151.9m), its share has shrunk from 38.9% of the total amount handed out in

2018, to 34.1% - while the North is now receiving 28.7% of the total pot, up from
26.8% in 2018. An 18.7% share is now going to the Midlands (up from 18.1%),
while the South East will receive 10.3% (up from 9.4%) and the South West 8.3%
(up from 6.8%).

Opera featured heavily in the list of organisations that saw funding cuts. Funding
for the Welsh National Opera was cut by £2.1m (34.7%) to £4.0m, while Lewes-
based Glyndebourne Productions saw its grant halved from £1.7m to £800,000,
the biggest proportional cut. The Arts Council says its research has shown
people want "easy access to meaningful, impactful cultural events and creative
activities in the places where they live".

It says its latest round of funding will benefit arts organisations, museums, and
libraries in every corner of the country "with a clear focus on ensuring that
investment is concentrated in those places that, historically, have been
underserved". That includes £43.5m for each of the next three years to 78 towns

and cities outside London designated as Arts Council’s "Levelling Up For Culture
Places".