Nick Ahad: Money well spent to encourage the arts and inspire the people

New Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt this week outlined his plans – and the news was good.

Obviously, it's not cut and dried, and arts organisations won't be popping champagne corks just yet – Mr Hunt also sounded warning bells about possible cuts on the way. But it was so heartening to hear in his speech, made in London to arts leaders and funders, that extra money would be going into the arts.

Legislation that could see arts, heritage and sport each receiving an extra 50m a year will be placed before Parliament in September.

Under the proposals, the share of money going to each of the arts, heritage and sport good causes will increase to 20 per cent, with the Big Lottery Fund receiving the remaining 40 per cent.

So to the original point: in this current climate, how can it possibly be seen as anything other than nonsense to suggest that these funds should be going to the arts practitioners of Britain?

Money spent on people prancing around on stage, creating weird installations and pieces of contemporary dance that will only ever be seen by an elite few who have the time and money to spend on pursuing these cultural pursuits – surely this is not our most important priority?

The discussion came up over the weekend with my brother, who works with families in a deprived part of Yorkshire.

His job is to teach young parents about basic childcare. Getting children to school is a first step for many of the families, and getting them to school with breakfast in their bellies is a major achievement.

At the sharp end of public funding where he stands, spending from the public purse on artistic pursuits couldn't be less relevant – or so he thinks.

The arts are such a vitally important part of our social fabric. You can't measure the impact on the GDP of an exhibition, but without them, all our lives would be poorer.

Even if you have never been through the doors of a gallery, the work inside inspires the public art in our towns and cities. Do you want to live and work in a city which is nothing more than a collection of concrete blocks, or do you want beauty around you?

Even if you have never been to a theatre, drama practitioners go into schools and open up the minds of your children – surely we want that?

Without the publicly funded theatre ecology, those drama practitioners would not be there to inspire young minds.

No, the arts might not seem like the most pressing priority right now, but to lose sight of them would be a terrible sin. That our new Government is even discussing their place in society is absolutely vital and can only be applauded.