FUNDING FOR SOUTH WEST ARTS

That this House condemns Arts Council England's proposed budget cuts that threaten the continued existence of the Northcott Theatre, Exeter; notes that the Northcott is the only producing theatre between Plymouth and Bristol and something of an oasis in an already under-provisioned and under-funded part of the United Kingdom where arts and culture are concerned; and therefore calls on Arts Council England to commission a study into the impact of such a draconian cut to arts provision in the far South West of England to test whether it is consistent with the Council's aim `to get more art to more people in more places'.