The government has outlined the scope of the independent review of Arts Council England, which will examine the funder’s purpose, structure, relationships and decision-making.

A six-month review of the grantmaker was commissioned by the previous government in March last year, but was paused due to the general election.

The Labour government has since commissioned its own independent review of ACE funding, having outlined the review’s terms of reference and announced the members of its advisory panel yesterday (20 February).

It comes after the government unveiled a £270m arts and culture fund that will benefit hundreds of arts venues, libraries and heritage sites.

The review will explore ACE’s purpose and structure, including whether its Royal Charter still provides a clear and appropriate mandate, whether the principle of delivering both excellence and access is embedded in its work, and whether ACE has the necessary powers, skills and freedoms to deliver its mandate.

It will also look at how ACE defines and fulfils its role as a development agency, whethe regional intelligence and expertise is sufficiently integrated into ACE’s structures and processes, and how effectively its teams operate.

The review will assess ACE’s decision-making, including how it responds to the views and demands of diverse organisations and people, the effectiveness and fairness of ACE’s funding decision-making and how ACE ensures that its funding reaches a diverse range of individuals, groups and artforms across the country.

The effectiveness of ACE’s working relationships will also be explored in the review, including its relationships with the organisations it funds, other organisations in the cultural sector, local education providers, local authorities and mayors.

The review will also assess whether there is an effective relationship between the government – specifically, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport – and ACE. 

It will explore how effective DCMS’ oversight of ACE is, how well the arm’s-length principle is working and look at how decisions about arts and culture funding can be protected from short-term political expediency.

The government said the review would not examine the question of whether ACE should exist.

The review will be led by Baroness Margaret Hodge, who was the Labour MP for Barking between 1994 and 2024 and has previously been the minister for culture, creative industries and tourism.

Other advisory panel members include: Helen Bowdur, arts fundraising consultant and vice-chair of the Octagon Theatre; Dave Moutrey, director of culture and creative industries at Manchester City Council and chair of the Theatres Trust; and Stella Kanu, chief executive of Shakespeare’s Globe.

Paul Callaghan, co-founder and the chair of The Leighton Group, and of the Sunderland Music, Arts and Culture Trust; Samir Savant, chief executive of St George’s Bristol; Laura Pye, director of National Museums Liverpool; and Pawlet Brookes, founder and chief of the Serendipity Institute for Black Arts and Heritage, will also be on the panel.

The timetable for the review has not been confirmed, but the culture secretary, Lisa Nandy, previously said that the timetable for the renewal of funding for ACE’s national portfolio organisations meant the review would need to be concluded by the end of the year.

Announcing the review’s launch at a lecture yesterday at the Royal Shakespeare Company, Nandy said: “We are determined to escape the deadening debate about access or excellence which has haunted the arts ever since the formation of the early Arts Council. 

“The arts is an ecosystem, which thrives when we support the excellence that exists and use it to level up.”

Darren Henley, chief executive of Arts Council England, said: “Baroness Hodge’s review gives all of us at the Arts Council the chance to make sure that we’re doing everything we can to serve audiences right across England – and that we’re nurturing an environment where artists, arts organisations, museums and libraries can create their best work for those audiences. 

“We’re looking forward to working with Baroness Hodge and her advisory panel to make sure that happens for everyone everywhere every day.”