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ACE’S £1.25B BOOST
20.02.2012 / Arts funding / 0 Comments
Vaizey announces lottery bonanza forecast
The Arts Council can expect an extra £1.25 billion in extra income over the next five years thanks to an increase in National Lottery ticket sales, culture minister Ed Vaizey says
There would also be another £243m going to the British Film Institute, he said.
“In a time of economic uncertainty, the arts are more important than ever,” Vaizey said. “The cultural value is immeasurable and we are in no doubt about the contributions that the arts make to our economy, our communities, our schools and our wellbeing.”
Changes to the way lottery cash is distributed announced in 2010 have already increased revenues for arts, with the share increasing from 16.6 per cent to 20 per cent from April this year.
There was some scepticism in arts circles about the minister's claims. Lottery income is not the same as government cash, which has been cut by 30%. Lottery rules mean that funding can only be used for additional projects, not core running costs - and its this that many arts organisations are short of.
Furthermore, the Lottery is based on projections and although there has been an increase in ticket sales, this may not last.
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