Northern creativity takes centre stage as Arts Council funding gets 'levelled up' with £161m for Yorkshire's museums, theatres and libraries

Arts Council England (ACE) has revealed its new national portfolio, outlining which organisations (NPOs) are to get public funding for three years until 2026.

A crescendo of blows had hammered hopes for the capital as funding was levelled up to "strengthen the North's position" as a world centre for art, culture and creativity.

But for Yorkshire's winners - with Bradford to see investment rise 89 per cent ahead of its upcoming City of Culture for 2025 - it brings a massive boost to ensure England's cultural offering is "more representative of the country".

Among those added to the fold were the North Yorkshire Moors Railway Trust, Rotherham Museums and Settle Stories, each taking a small share of £446m a year nationwide.

Pete Massey, director of Northern economy and partnerships for the Arts Council, said the investment will have a "sensational" impact across Yorkshire and the Humber, boosting economic growth and jobs creation, while bringing communities closer together.

"We are investing in more organisations than we have ever done before which is testament to the incredible talent and innovation we have in the region," he said.

Across England, there has been a dramatic shift in arts funding after former Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries ordered the biggest shake-up in a generation. Writing in The Yorkshire Post in February, she warned of a "huge historic imbalance", citing ACE spend of £21 per head in London compared to £9.20 in Yorkshire.

In London, a number of organisations have lost some or all of their subsidies, such as The Royal Opera House, the National Theatre and the Southbank Centre.

Yorkshire's funding has now increased by £14.3m a year to see Arts Council investment of £161m by 2026, supporting 107 organisations including 29 newly added to its portfolio.

Under ambitions to level up culture, funding for the North as a whole has risen 25 per cent, but in Yorkshire this rise is at a 36 per cent - signalling an even bigger boost to the region.

Mr Massey described the sums as "significant", adding: "This investment is a show of faith in the North, and in Yorkshire's culture and creativity - and in its ambition as well."

In particular, opportunity has been hailed for Bradford's creative talent with pledges that could propel its literary legacy to the "Premier League".

The district, set to be City of Culture 2025, is one of only a few nationwide to see near treble-figure rises to its investment.

Hull, following its own title win in 2017, has seen library services brought under the arts body’s portfolio alongside Absolutely Cultured and Back to Ours.

But for Bradford the impact, said Mr Massey, would be "foundational", with the city's museums and galleries brought under the ACE portfolio, and more support for arts centre Kala Sangam.

For Bradford Literature Festival, with a huge leap in funding to more than £1m a year for the next three years, Mr Massey said this would propel its offer to the "Premier League". He added: "Bradford has an opportunity to be the best City of Culture this country has ever seen."

Bids this year to become an ACE National Portfolio Organisation (NPO) were the most competitive yet, the body revealed, up from 1,100 applications to 1,700.

The focus on funding is delivered on "more places", driving investment into areas where historically opportunity "has been too low". Then on youth and talent development, rural access and the arts, and with renewed boosts to some of the region's theatres and museums.

Among those to join the portfolio, securing public funding until 2026, was Leeds-based The Book Trust, as Britain's biggest reading charity, securing £17.3m over three years.

West Yorkshire charity Unlimited has been awarded £1m a year, the largest ever amount funded to a disability-led organisation. Director Jo Verrent said the news was “amazing”, adding: “I can’t say the extraordinary amount without catching my breath.”

Renewed support has also been pledged to "world-leaders" in their field such as Leeds Playhouse, Leeds Museums and Galleries, Sheffield Theatres and Sheffield Museums Trust.

Cultural organisations had been waiting anxiously for news after the announcement was delayed until yesterday. Not all were successful - there have been significant blows with Pocklington Arts Centre among those to share their heartfelt disappointment.

Mr Massey, having read every single application, said he was acutely aware of the region's talent and stressed this funding pot was not "the only way". But when it came to funding for the North, he said it was a "basic issue of fairness".

"People here, across Yorkshire, pay their taxes and buy Lottery tickets," he said. "They should be able to experience and enjoy the fruits of that as much as anybody in London.

"It's absolutely right that we try and get investment in different places. There's talent everywhere - but there isn't opportunity everywhere."