Arts Council policies

Ivan Hewett in The Telegraph attacks Arts Council England's new policy documents.

A new swagger, mingled with staggering hubris, is the hallmark of the ACE's first policy document. This contains a set of six priorities for developing all the different art-forms over the next five to ten years. It wants to widen participation, and involve youth (with much emphasis on young offenders). It wants to boost the creative economy, and build vibrant communities. And it wants to foster internationalism and celebrate diversity.

The ACE isn't quite brazen enough to announce this without at least a show of modesty. Last Monday it launched a three-month survey of the nation's views on public support for the arts. But the fact that the policy document hasn't waited on the results suggests the ACE already knows all the answers.

You can join the debate about the arts and the Arts Council on their website.