New ACE Fund

Only a few days ago I reported that Arts Council England (ACE) had money to burn (CLICK). It's now offering a total of £37m in arts grants to 70 local authorities it claims aren't "engaging" with the arts (title link). Redbridge's neighbouring borough of Barking and Dagenham is one of those councils ACE names. Only six years ago B&D funded a major project - Barking Artscape - to regenerate Barking town centre (CLICK). That was just before the recession. Since then, councils up and down the country have faced massive cuts in Government grants. Old people are being neglected, the disabled losing financial benefits, play centres closed, clubs for teenagers axed, libraries shut, students faced with tuition debts and most of us feeling the pinch. In the current climate, any council that wastes money on frivolous arts projects is likely to anger its residents. Okay, the money on offer from ACE is National Lottery funds, not tax-payers' money, but that's not the point. Look at the outrage sparked by bankers' bonuses. Councillors ready to risk public wrath, CLICK for the ACE Creative People and Places Fund. The above example of "art" is Chris Ofili's zinc plate etching 11.4.93 Easter Sunday (1993) from The Arts Council Collection. Groan!