Today (13 March) Alan Davey, Chief Executive of Arts Council England, will make his first keynote speech at the annual Local Government Association of Culture, Tourism and Sport Conference.

The speech at the Arena and Convention Centre in Liverpool will highlight the importance of local government in the funding and delivery of the arts in England. Encouraging engagement in quality arts is a shared aim of the Arts Council and local government.

Alan will look at how effectively the Arts Council and local authorities can work together and examine the challenges that both face. Many of the Arts Council’s regularly funded organisations are co-funded by local authorities and, in some cases, local authorities manage the venues that present Arts Council funded work. Alan will address the benefits of a single joined-up approach to arts funding.

His speech will outline how high quality arts play a vital role in empowering individuals and connecting communities – a key finding from the Arts Debate, the Arts Council’s first-ever public value inquiry.

Alan will also highlight examples that demonstrate the importance of the Arts Council’s relationship with local authorities. These include: the refurbishment of the Bluecoat – the oldest visual arts centre in Liverpool; Liverpool, European Capital of Culture 2008; and Manchester International Festival, for which the Arts Council has just announced an additional investment of one million pounds.

He will stress the importance of developing excellence in the arts and of a renewed drive to increase public engagement with the arts. As part of this, he will pledge that local government will be actively consulted as the Arts Council takes forward work aligned to Sir Brian McMaster's review of excellence in the arts. The McMaster report also illustrated the significance of peer review and the Arts Council is keen to learn from the work of local government in this area.

http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/pressnews/press_detail.php?browse=recent&id=1108