Arun arts projects are the worst-funded in West Sussex by lottery scheme

The arts sector in Arun was given £38,647 in Project Grants funding by Arts Council England in 2019-20, the latest data from the public body shows.

This is lottery money given out by Arts Council England to support museums, libraries, artists and arts groups across the country which apply for it.

The funding distributed in Arun was equivalent to 24p per person in the area, based on Office for National Statistics population estimates.

This was well below the £1.50 received per person in neighbouring Worthing, the £1.33 received in Adur and the £1.49 received in Chichester.

Arun district councillor Billy Blanchard-Cooper said it was ‘disappointing’ that Arun had received such a low portion of funding when it had ‘a strong artistic community’ and ‘so much to offer’ when it came to the arts.

He highlighted organisations, venues and events such as LOCA, the Windmill Cinema and the Arundel Arts Festival.

He said the arts were ‘incredibly important’.

“The arts build so much for people... it builds relationships, it builds people’s confidence, it builds people’s careers,” he said.

When it came to the funding, he said: “It could be that grants aren’t being applied for.

“If it is, that’s something we need to look at and think about how we can encourage groups to apply for it and educate people on how to apply for it.”

With figures showing that some areas of the country get much more cash than others, socialist think tank The Fabian Society has called for fairer National Lottery funding for the arts sector across England.

Laura Dyer, deputy chief executive for places and engagement Arts Council England, said its investment should reach ‘every community across the country’, adding: “This commitment is at the core of our new ten-year strategy, Let’s Create, through which we’ll continue to address the historic imbalance in funding.”

The arts sector has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic.

This week the Government announced the first grants from its £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund – see which West Sussex organisations have benefitted so far here.