REFORM OF THE BRITISH ARTS AND CULTURE FUNDING SYSTEM

Since the end of World War II Britain has been experiencing a very dynamic development in the domain of arts and culture. The funding system in this area is one factor that has proved crucial to this development. Eleven autonomous mediating institutions - the Arts Council of England and ten Regional Arts Boards, cooperating with both the private sector and representatives of arts and culture, are considered by many countries to be worth imitating. The main advantages of the system are said to be its flexibility and the independence of the institutions involved. Meanwhile, in March 2001 the Arts Council of England put forward a proposal to modify the current system of funding arts and culture in Britain. The aim is to create a system which better cooperates with the local, regional and national democratic structures and which is based upon simple funding principles. The changes proposed should also reduce the administrative expenses of the system. The article sets out to present and appraise the current British arts and culture funding system in addition to the basic assumptions and goals of the reform proposed by the Arts Council of England. The author also mentions the reactions of the British arts community to the proposed changes