The Arts Council of England (ACE) has published its sixth biennial survey of local authority expenditure on the arts in England, comparing and analysing expenditure by different types of authority and by region. Based on responses from 279 authorities, with a 72% response rate, the report includes information on the revenue expenditure on the arts in 2000/01, changes observed from the last report (1998/99) and details of planned spending changes. Key findings are as follows;

For the 2000/01 period, total expenditure on the arts from the responding authorities was calculated at £160.8 million.

Total expenditure on the arts for the responding authorities increased from £158.4 million in 1999/2000 to £160.8 million in 2000/01, which represents a 1.5 % fall in expenditure in real terms.

Half of the responding authorities spend less time than 0.5 per cent of their total net current

expenditure on the arts, with 72% spending less than two per cent. An Executive summary of the survey can be downloaded from the ACE website at; www.artscouncil.org.uk/publications/pdfs/research25exec.pdf A full copy of the report is available for purchase (£8), from Marston Book Services Ltd; [email protected]

http://www.artscouncil.org.uk