From The Telegraph, 02/17/01:<BR> <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>THE Government is to unveil a "Billy Elliot revolution" today to enable working-class children to be given piano lessons, ballet classes and other traditional perks of a middle-class childhood as part of its blueprint for secondary education.<P>Ministers intend to offer up to £360 per pupil at some inner-city schools to pay for activities that broaden children's horizons, such as drama and music classes, and theatre visits. The move will be among financial incentives to be offered from next year as part of a five-year plan to raise secondary education standards.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/et?ac=000148269364269&rtmo=r93aXarX&atmo=99999999&pg=/et/01/2/17/tenbill17.html" target="blank"><B>more...</B></a><BR>

'The quiet man of the Cabinet has delivered.' <P>Melvyn Bragg, President of the National Campaign for the Arts, novelist and broadcaster talks about the success of Chris Smith, Minister for Culture, Media and Sport in persuading his Cabinet colleagues to increase arts funding substantially. <P>Smith came in for a lot of criticism in the early days of this Government, but he feling ow is tha he is '..a good thing.' He certainly turns up at some dance events and venue openings and not just the big ones. <P> <A HREF="http://www.observer.co.uk/review/story/0,6903,458385,00.html" TARGET=_blank>http://www.observer.co.uk/review/story/0,6903,458385,00.html</A> <BR>

'Best companies to be freed from arts funds fight,' by Maev Kennedy in The Guardian. <P>This could make a big difference. The only thing that occurs to me is that the big companies with lots of admin help will be freed up and the small ones will still have the problems. Nevertheless it does sound like a good idea.<P> <A HREF="Http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4156071,00.html" TARGET=_blank>Http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4156071,00.html</A>

'Arts receive substantial funding increase' <P> <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Over 200 arts organisations will benefit from funding increases averaging 17 per cent by 2003/04. Some organisations will receive two or three times their present grant. The budget delivers the largest increase in grant-in-aid for many decades and gives arts organisations firm funding figures for the three years from 2001 to 2004. Most of the additional funding will be made available in 2002/03, with further increases in 2003/04. There are significant increases for literature, visual arts and dance. Fifty organisations will receive revenue funding for the first time.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P>Here is the full Press release. After the introductory part there is the Dance section with details of the grants for the various companies. Bear in mind this is only the largest dance companies. Smaller ones are dealt with at local level by the Regional Arts Boards, such as London Arts. A number of companies have done very well and others not so well. Inevitably some decisions cause at least half an eyebrow to rise, but some superb companies have done very well. Most justified big award to Wayne McGregor's Random; most miserly increase for Birmingham Royal Ballet. <BR> <A HREF="http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/press/2001/mar/22mar.html" TARGET=_blank>http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/press/2001/mar/22mar.html</A>