Use Lottery funding to combat social exclusion, says Smith
Sport and the arts can be an important ingredient in the government's aim of eliminating social exclusion, Chris Smith, Secretary of the State at the DCMS, said on Friday. To achieve this, he went on, National Lottery funding should be targeted at creating multi-purpose centres in the community in which the socially disadvantaged can take part in artistic and sporting activities.
In addition, he said in an interview on the BBC Radio 4 programme Today, Lottery money should also be available to provide bursaries for talented individuals to help them achieve their potential.
We don't have enough Lottery money, Hewitt admits
Peter Hewitt, ACE chief executive, has admitted that the organisation does not have enough cash from the National Lottery to meet the demands of companies and theatres seeking to complete projects.
"Many organisations will be disappointed," said Hewitt. "The Arts Council simply cannot meet the demand that there is for capital investment."
46 projects are to receive £269m - assuming that they can meet criteria set by ACE. Thiry organisations, including the Hackney Empire and the Almeida, have been promised between £1m and £10m, whilst others (including the RSC) will get more than £10m.
The current programme, which the new Council has inherited from the pre-restructuring body, will finish at the end of the financial year and a new programme is to be developed later this year, for which applications will be invited in the Spring of 2000. The current scheme for projects under £100,000 will not be affected.
Bring Drama back to schools: Equity
Actors' union Equity is to propose a motion at the Trade Union Congress annual conference to give Drama a central role in the review of the National Curriculum in schools. The motion calls upon the government to:
incorporate Drama as a key enabling component of the National Curriculum and provide the resources necessary to bring into all schools live performance and re-establish theatre-in-education companies in all local government areas across the United Kingdom.
Leatherhead's Thorndike Thetare has been granted Grade II listed status, Arts Minister Alan Howarth announced this week. This means that it will be very difficult for owners Hague Investments to demolish the theatre to build a cinema, but gives no guarantee that it will continue to operate as a theatre, something which the head of the local district council, John Toffney, thinks is "debateable".