Arts funding in England must be protected from politics, Hodge report urges

Arts Council England must remain free from interference to ensure artistic freedom, says report by Labour peer

Arts Council England needs to scrap its flagship strategy, ensure that arts funding is protected from politicisation and be less bureaucratic in order to regain trust, according to a damaging report by the Labour peer Margaret Hodge.

The report, which was announced a year ago, found there had been a “loss of respect and trust” for the organisation by those it funds – in part because of “perceived political interference in decision-making”.