Regional Arts

EDM number 621 in 2000-01, proposed by Austin Mitchell on 01/05/2001.

That this House notes the work of Yorkshire Arts in stimulating, financing and developing all forms of artistic endeavour and activity in Yorkshire and Humberside, as well as its successful record of co-operation with local authorities, businesses and arts organisations of all kinds, including the Yorkshire Cultural Consortium and the Local Authority Arts Forum, all of which demonstrates benefits of regional autonomy in the arts; is therefore deeply concerned at the lack of consultation and the increase in centralisation involved in the Arts Council's Prospectus for Change issued in March as a 'done deal'; therefore commends the rejection of these proposals by Yorkshire Arts and most of the bodies concerned with the arts in Yorkshire and Humberside; emphasises that the weakening of local representation, consultation and involvement produced by the replacement of representative regional boards by mere advisory boards could damage the strengths of Yorkshire Arts with its high levels of customer satisfaction, its strong and successful regional profile, its effective and representative board and the wider involvement that has achieved; and calls on the Arts Council to withdraw its centralising agenda and replace it by new proposals for more generous funding, so that the arts can play an increasing role in the developing regional agenda.

This motion has been signed by a total of 16 MPs.