AN MP is demanding to know why Birmingham gets more than 200 times more arts funding than Solihull.Borough MP Lorely Burt has written to the Arts Council for England demanding answers.
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Yet the council told The Silhillian few organisations had bid for cash and residents benefited from projects in neighbouring authorities such as The Royal Shakespeare Company.
Figures show Birmingham got £163.7m from 2001 to 2009 – while Solihull got £720,000.
This is 227 times higher than Solihull – even though Birmingham’s population is only five times the borough’s.
The Liberal Democrat said the wide gap existed because Solihull only got lottery cash and not funds directly from the Government.
All other boroughs in the West Midlands got this ‘grant in aid’ cash.
She said: “Solihull has numerous cultural treasures such as the Solihull Arts Complex and various community organisations which are eligible to receive funding.
“It is a shame that Solihull has received such a pittance of funding compared to other areas in the West Midlands.”
Mrs Burt said in a press release: “The Government and the Arts Council for England needs to reconsider their funding so that places such as Solihull obtain their fair share.
“I have written a letter to the regional director of the Arts Council for England – West Midlands Region asking for an explanation on their funding policy and what can be done to make sure Solihull obtain their fair share of Government art money.”
Arts Council spokesman Rachel Hartley said: “None of the organisations which we currently regularly fund are based within Solihull, however many funded organisations are based in Coventry, Warwickshire and Birmingham and serve the Solihull area.”
New projects could be funded if criteria is met, she said, but are ‘dependent on either additional monies being made available [or] monies being withdrawn from existing organisations’.
“When we bring new organisations into the portfolio it is usually to address a specific gap in the region's arts offer.”
And she said: “Unfortunately the rate of application from individual artists and organisations in Solihull is very low.”
She said the Arts Council works with Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council staff to try and increase bids and has held a roadshow at Solihull Arts Complex to raise its profile.
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