Arts Council England (ACE) is coming under severe criticism following the revelation that theatres, halls and arts venues in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are yet to receive a penny of the £1.57bn emergency arts fund announced by the government in July.

Complexity and volume

The Observer newspaper revealed in an article on 4th October by Arts and Media correspondent Vanessa Thorpe, that they had hoped to hear what they would receive in the first week of October.

However, this was not the case, with ACE stating that "the complexity and volume of applications"had given rise to the delay.

The news comes at a critical time for the sector with leading playwright and screenwriter James Graham stating that the financial help was needed three months ago and that "now, for many, its almost too late — mass redundancies, freelancers on zero income and in dire straits."

Pathetic

One venue 4BR spoke to added: "It took time for the government to acknowledge that we were drowning before announcing financial life jackets were available.

Now it's as if the Arts Council are asking us all to wait until they fill in yet another application form before they throw one out in our direction before we finally disappear below the waves. It's pathetic to hear the excuses."

Last week numerous leading venues across the country were lit up in red to highlight their plight.

Anger was also shown when the business secretary, Alok Sharma, urged those employed in the arts to retrain for "better jobs".

Apology

In response to the article Arts Council England stated: "We understand this is an anxious time for many people and many organisations up and down the country. We apologise for the week's delay in letting the first tranche of grants applicants know decisions, but we will still be able to get money to them this month."

They added: "Given the volume and complexity of the applications that came through to this brand new fund, we've had to do additional due diligence to make sure money from the public purse is spent responsibly.

We are working hard to get this much-needed funding out as quickly as possible, to those who need it most."

now, for many, its almost too late — mass redundancies, freelancers on zero income and in dire straitsPlaywright, James Graham

Auction

In a further article on the classic fm website by journalist Maddy Shaw Roberts it said that the financial problems had led to Royal Shakespeare Company entering redundancy consultations, whilst the Royal Opera House has announced it is auctioning off a multi-million pound David Hockney portrait.

It also stated that there was "further anxiety"surrounding which venues will receive a grant after the government said for applicants to be successful, they must produce an "innovative plan for how they will operate and be sustainable for the remainder of this financial year", while also being able "to demonstrate their international, national or local significance".