Arts Council to protect poetry funding

The arts council has been dealt a budget card that has been one of the toughest to manage for the past 65 years. Government funding was reduced by 29.6%, which meant that it simply wasn't possible to fund every application received. Inevitably individuals would be unhappy about some of the decisions made in terms of which projects should and shouldn't be funded.

The Arts Council state that they were very clear that there were going to be strong applications that they would be unable to fund, and that their aim was to achieve the best possible results for the arts overall and deliver greatest value for money.

So what was the outcome for literature and, in particular, poetry? Despite the significant cut to the Arts Council's budget, investment in literature will actually increased 9.9% and the council have managed to maintain their support for poetry, while many other artforms saw a decrease in funding.

The arts don't stand still, they are constantly evolving, and our funding decisions reflect this shifting landscape.

Speaking for Channel 4, Antonia Byatt, a representative of the arts council, states that "in allocating our funding we tried to make sure that readers have access to a diverse range of high quality poetry (for example through our support for Bloodaxe and Carcanet); that children can be inspired by poetry through the likes of Apples and Snakes and Booktrust; that people can hear and enjoy poetry at festivals such as Lebury or Manchester, or at regular events organised by Poet in the City or the Southbank Centre; and that new talent is nurtured, mid-career poets are supported and established names are celebrated - working with organisations such as Poetry Business, The Forward Prize (Forward Arts Foundation) and Poetry London.

"We received some really ambitious and exciting applications which offered compelling visions of how we could reach new and existing audiences. In our judgement the Poetry Book Society's reach and distribution was not as wide or effective as a number of other applicants.

"However, as we have made clear to the Poetry Book Society (PBS), we remain committed to the TS Eliot prize and the crucial role it has in helping readers find the best in contemporary poetry and we hope to continue our relationship with the organisation.

"The PBS will receive regular funding for another full year, which will give them time to adapt to the change in their circumstances.

"And the new National Portfolio funding is not the only way that the Arts Council invests in the arts. Our Grants for the Arts scheme - an open application lottery funded programme - may prove appropriate for key elements of the PBS's work. This grant programme is also suited to supporting small, independent publishers, with funding awarded to presses delivering valuable work in producing translation and poetry titles.

"We believe we've chosen the right balance of poetry organisations to develop the artform in all areas of the country."