Nandy confirms new ACE review headed by Hodge will consider ‘wider cultural funding ecosystem’

A new review of Arts Council England (ACE) will look at the role the funding body plays in the wider arts and culture ecosystem, an announcement from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has revealed.

The launch of the review “in the new year” follows a previous one that was started under the Conservatives and headed up by Tory peer Dame Mary Archer. It had had already begun gathering evidence from the sector when it was halted ahead of the general election.

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has officially named former Culture Minister Baroness Margaret Hodge as the lead for the new review. She will be aided by an as yet unknown advisory panel that DCMS said will feature “experts from across the arts and cultural sectors”.

The review will report to the government in the autumn of 2025, with conclusions of the review and the government’s response published in early 2026.

Nandy has also confirmed the extension of the tenure of ACE’s current chair Nick Serota, whose second four-year term was due to end on 31 January 2025. Serota will stay in post for an additional 18 months “to maintain stability during the review process”.

Key priorities for Hodge

While the terms of reference for the new review are yet to be agreed and published, the Hodge review will be tasked with ensuring that ACE is positioned to steward the cultural and creative sector in every part of the country. 

Its key priorities will include exploring ACE’s role in “supporting excellence across the country, ensuring that everyone can participate in and consume culture and creativity, regardless of their background or where they live” and evaluating the funding body’s position in developing a creative sector that can support art at both the grassroots and international level.

The review will also investigate how ACE engages with its partners and stakeholders “at all levels” to ensure that “national and local priorities work harmoniously to benefit the public” and asses whether its mandate is “clear and appropriate for the 21st century” in delivering and “high quality arts and culture” at a national, regional and local level.

‘The deadening debate between access and excellence’

The preview of the review’s remit indicates a shift in parameters and focus compared with the Archer review.

Launched under former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Archer was tasked with looking at the effectiveness of ACE and whether its functions should be delivered by the state or alternative options including abolition, privatisation or a merger.

Archer’s review also sought to identify how ACE could implement 5% cost savings and assess how it could deliver “creative excellence” in the arts.

Speaking last week at a Culture, Media and Sport select committee meeting, Nandy said she hoped the new review would “get us away from what I think is quite a deadening debate around that between access and excellence” adding “It has to be both. And the last review was very much framed around those two competing poles.”

Nandy also countered assertions that the Labour government had “scrapped” Archer’s review, instead saying, “We paused, we haven’t scrapped the review, but we hit pause, and we went away and did a piece of work looking at mapping out across the country where people have access to arts and culture and who is consuming it, who is actually accessing that, and who is benefiting from it.

DCMS confirmed to Arts Professional that, in line with its privacy notice, all recordings and transcripts from the Archer review will be deleted.

‘Restoring people’s connection with the arts and culture’

Speaking about the official launch of the review, Nandy said: “Arts and culture must be for everyone, everywhere.

“No matter your background or the place you live, we should all be able to experience the joys that dance, theatre, music, museums, even borrowing a book from a library brings.

“For too long only the privileged few in select parts of the country have been able to have access to high-quality arts or to believe a career within them was possible.

“This review is the first step on the journey to restoring people’s connection with the arts and culture in every region of the country.

“I am absolutely delighted that Baroness Hodge has agreed to take up this role. Her wealth of experience will help us to break down barriers to opportunity in arts and culture and give our young people the chance to shape their own future.”

Hodge added: “I am absolutely thrilled to be asked to lead the review of the Arts Council. I am passionate about the rich contribution the arts can make to all of us, as individuals, in our communities and to the economy.

“I look forward to engaging with the Arts Council and with a wide range of stakeholders across the country as we consider the challenges and opportunities the Arts Council faces.”

Arts Council England Chief Executive Darren Henley said: “We welcome the opportunity that this review gives us to show how we’re supporting artists, arts organisations, museums and libraries in every corner of the country to create ambitious, high-quality work for their audiences and communities.

“Baroness Hodge brings a wealth of experience, both within and beyond the cultural sector, to this important process, and we’re looking forward to working with her and with our sponsor department, DCMS, over the months ahead.”

He continued: “We look forward to continuing to benefit from Nick’s wise counsel and leadership over the next 18 months as we work together to champion the work of artists, arts organisations, museums and libraries in towns and cities across England.”