AIR

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport invites consultation on legislation that could see arts, heritage and sport each receiving an extra £50 million a year in Lottery funding.

The DCMS recently announced a consultation on the return of the lottery shares to their original causes. If agreed in Parliament, this would re-balance the share of the lottery, restoring arts, heritage and sport shares to their original 20% each by 2012.

Alan Davey, Chief Executive of Arts Council England said: "This is a very positive move for the arts and I would like to encourage you to respond to the consultation document. It's vital that Government hears directly from front line arts organisations about how the distinct benefits of additional lottery funding would help you to deliver your work on the ground."

The consultation proposes re-balancing lottery shares in two stages, returning 18% each to arts, heritage and sports by April 2011, and to 20% by April 2012. This would eventually reduce the shares held by the Big Lottery Fund to 40%.

Davey commented: "Your views are particularly valuable in light of the reductions in public funding we know are coming in future years, and which will make the lottery contribution to the arts all the more important."

However, Davey was at pains to stress this legislation would not distract from the Arts Council making the case for minimising reductions to public investment in the arts. He said: "Returning the lottery to its original causes, though a positive move, will not on its own mitigate the potential impact of larger scale public spending cuts, and we will continue to make that point."

Details of the consultation can be found on the DCMS website here »

The consultation closes on 21 August 2010.

First published: a-n.co.uk July 2010