DCMS overstated Arts Council funding

In The Stage, Alistair Smith reveals that, following the newspaper's investigation, officials at the Department for Media Culture and Sport (DCMS) have now admitted that they overstated Arts Council funding.

In the official release accompanying the results of the DCMS’s settlement for the arts at last month’s spending review, the department claimed it had given Arts Council England a “real-terms increase year-on-year of 1.1%”.

This claim has proved to be incorrect and an exaggeration of around £9 million over the three years. The real “year-on-year” increase is significantly lower. While the DCMS was informed of the potential error by The Stage at the time, it has taken until now - more than a month later - to acknowledge that mistake.