AID FOR THE NORTH-EAST .
SIR,—The Government is rightly being pressed to give special attention to the needs of the North-East to help stop the drift of young people to the South. It has been pointed out that we need to clear away the ugly relics of the past and to improve and make better known the amenities of the region as part of our general campaign for better living standards for our people. This is a job both for the Government and for ourselves to tackle.
The North Eastern Association for the Arts is playing its part by winning attention for the vigorous artistic life of the region and in helping to strengthen and improve the facilities available in music, the theatre and the visual arts—an important part of our living standards. We have already forty-six local authorities supporting us, but they are not all yet contributing the id. rate for which we ask—the Local Government Act, 1948. authorised a maximum con- tribution of a 6d. rate! A few local authorities have not yet joined our Association and so weaken the claim we can make for support from the Arts Council which is responsible for the allocation of funds it receives from the Treasury.
The Arts Council has been criticised in the past for concentrating so much of its financial support on London. We are asking them to redress this balance a little by giving us a matching grant for what we, raise within the region: This seems to us to establish the kind of partnership that is needed for the public support of the arts, and we have the assurance of the Arts Council that they welcome this approach. They have congratulated us in the North-East for our initiative in setting up the first association of its kind, linking local authorities with industry, universities, trades unions, art societies and individuals in a joint effort.
We throw out two challenges—to local authorities, who are not yet supporting us, to come in and do so without delay; to the Treasury to make it possible for the Arts Council to give us the £ for £ grant we need.
E. I. FLETCHER Chairman North Eastern Association for the Arts
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