Badge Art and Design Blog

Art for all Londoners

London's big cultural events are too central, expensive and exclusive. We need to devolve control of arts funding so they can be enjoyed by all

Flourishing arts ... A visitor to the British Museum's Terracotta Army exhibition. Photograph: Graham Turner

London's arts scene is flourishing. The extraordinary popularity of the First Emperor, China's Terracotta Army exhibition at the British Museum, is testament to the demand for first-class cultural events in our nation's capital. I would be fascinated to see a breakdown of the background of the visitors who have paid the standard charge of £12 to see the terracotta warriors. Foreign tourists will feature heavily, UK visitors will also be numerous, and well-off Londoners will surely be well-represented. It is a good news story that so many have been to the event, but bad news that London's arts funding is so focused on set-piece big attractions in the city centre. Many Londoners - and a great majority of poorer Londoners - are unwilling to sacrifice the time and money required to travel into central London and buy expensive tickets for this kind of experience.

The great paradox is that while London's cultural scene is more popular than ever, it is also more exclusive. The blame lies squarely with the government. True, Labour inherited historically low levels of arts funding from a Conservative government that never grasped the importance of arts and culture (for too many of them culture meant "fat Italians in tights"). Labour's approach to arts funding has been little better, both centralising and exclusive. Government changes to the Regional Arts Boards in 2002, and continued meddling in lottery funding are symptomatic of a government-knows-best approach to the arts that hands power to politicians rather than to the artists and the local decision-makers who know how best to serve the interests of their communities.

We need to widen access to cultural events in London, so that funding is given to local projects which reflect the interests of local Londoners throughout our capital. Funding and support from government must not exclusively focus on the tastes of the better-off, like the New Labour Islington crowd, or the young Tory Notting Hill set: it must cater for the tastes of all London taxpayers who are paying money up front for it.

So here is what I want to happen. First, I want a review of all arts funding to ensure that it is devolved to the lowest possible level, so that local people have control over their own arts funding. If that means devolving power down from the Mayor's Office, then so be it. Second, I want the Mayor's Office to revisit the definition of arts and culture, so that we can support events enjoyed by a wider cross-section of Londoners. Third, the criteria for granting arts subsidies should be revised so that access to local arts projects is considered when funding decisions are being made.

If I am elected Mayor of London, I would ensure that politicians have less say on arts funding, and local taxpayers have more. That is the way to ensure a diverse and flourishing arts scene throughout all of London, and not just our city centre.

Brian Paddick is the Liberal Democrat candidate for Mayor of London. Read Labour candidate and current mayor Ken Livingstone's blog on the arts in London here. Conservative candidate Boris Johnson has declined to take part

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