James Mahone: The £4.6 Billion of public money distributed by Arts Council England and the questions nobody is asking
James Mahone raises concerns about the distribution of over £4.6 billion by Arts Council England from 2020 to 2024. He highlights significant regional imbalances in funding, with London receiving substantially more than the North of England. The lack of transparency regarding funding decisions and rejection rates for applications further complicates accountability for public funds.
- ▪Arts Council England distributed more than £4.6 billion of taxpayer money between 2020 and 2024.
- ▪London received at least £166 million more funding than the entire North of England during this period.
- ▪The rejection rate for Shakespeare-related funding applications was approximately 69 percent.
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| Original publisher | ConservativeHome |
| Canonical URL | https://conservativehome.com/2026/05/25/james-mahone-the-4-6-billion-of-public-money-distributed-by-arts-council-england-and-the-questions-nobody-is-asking/ |
| Publication time | Mon, 25 May 2026 10:00:09 +0000 |
| Retrieval time | 2026-05-25T10:02:36.626Z |
| Last seen | 2026-05-25T10:02:36.626Z |
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Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
James Mahone is a Conservative Party member, and Founder of the Horizon Centre for Public Innovation. Arts Council England has been responsible for distributing more than £4.6 billion of British taxpayer money between 2020-2024. There has been an alarming lack of transparency and significant regional imbalance regarding funding granted. Data obtained by the Horizon Centre for Public Innovation via Freedom of Information requests raises serious questions about accountability. The British public are surely unaware of these astronomical figures and where their money is being directed. It is time for openness. Firstly, ministers and taxpayers should be concerned about the figures citing regional imbalance.
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