The UK government has responded to a far-reaching review of Arts Council England (ACE) by the Labour peer Margaret Hodge, saying that it welcomes her \u201cwide-ranging vision of reform\u201d for the arm\u2019s-length public funding body, including the idea of charging international visitors admission fees at national museums in England.<\/p>\n
While some proposals have sparked concerns, the government has said it recognises that \u201cimplementation will require a phased and balanced approach, and some recommendations will require difficult choices about funding, timing and prioritisation\u201d. <\/p>\n
Hodge\u2019s review, overseen by the UK Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), was published<\/a> last December. \u201cMy report provides a clear path, with a range of new initiatives that cover everything from new funding models to fundamental systems reform, that will enable ACE to strengthen its key, positive role in sustaining a world-class creative sector for the future,\u201d Hodge said.<\/p>\n In its long-awaited response, the government said it \u201cstrongly agrees\u201d with Baroness Hodge that there must be a national Arts Council, and that the \u201carm\u2019s length principle\u201d\u2014the principle that ensures Arts Council England\u2019s individual funding decisions are taken outside of political interference from all levels of government\u2014must be protected.<\/p>\n In order to fill funding gaps for the arts and culture sector, the government says it believes charging international visitors at national museums in England could \u201cprovide significant benefits\u201d and will work with the museum sector to \u201cexplore options” for doing so.<\/p>\n But the proposal angered some cultural commentators. Alison Cole, the director of the Cultural Policy Unit thinktank and the former editor of The Art Newspaper, told the Guardian\u00a0<\/a>that charging overseas visitors would be a \u201cvery bad idea\u201d. This view is echoed<\/a> by Maria Balshaw, the outgoing director of the Tate, who said earlier this month: \u201cWhat does it say to people from the rest of the world if we say, \u2018We\u2019ve got your stuff, but we\u2019re going to charge you to come in\u2019? I don\u2019t like that idea.\u201d<\/p>\n The Hodge review also recommended a levy on overnight stays, boosting plans for a so-called tourist tax that is supported by the Cultural Policy Unit. The government recently launched a consultation linked to a new discretionary power for Mayoral Strategic Authorities (areas run by mayors) to introduce a visitor levy on short-term, overnight accommodation, whose results will be published in due course, according to the government. Research from the charity Art Fund\u00a0showed that 72% of the public supported a tourist levy that would subsidise free entry to national museums.<\/p>\n Philanthropic giving and tax incentives<\/p>\n Hodge also recommended new \u201cways of responding urgently to the underfunding that has undermined the arts over the last decade\u201d, giving new funding proposals based on philanthropic giving and tax incentives. DCMS says it will provide evidence to HM Treasury regarding new tax reliefs and will soon publish a roadmap to support the \u201cgrowth of place-based philanthropy\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n The government also supports the recommendation that ACE should work with the museum sector to develop a strategy and long-term plan for the sector, \u201cworking closely with DCMS and voices across the sector including DCMS-sponsored museums and galleries\u201d.<\/p>\n The government also backs Hodge\u2019s ideas for overhauling the model for National Portfolio Organisations (NPO) that receive regular funding from ACE, which distributes more than \u00a3680m annually. It strongly agrees with Baroness Hodge that the application and monitoring processes must be less bureaucratic and onerous for organisations, earmarking up to \u00a38m in new funding to enable ACE to invest in its systems. There should be\u00a0longer funding rounds for the NPOs of up to five years,\u00a0rather than the current three-year period, the government adds.<\/p>\n Hodge urged support for emerging and mid-career arts professionals. \u201cACE should introduce a new National Programme for individuals, using money from existing funding streams\u201d and \u201c[provide] individuals with funding of around \u00a330,000 per year and mentoring support\u201d, said her report. The government subsequently pledges to \u201cunderstand routes\u201d to support individual artists and to establish a fund for future artists and creatives.<\/p>\n