Arts Council England has drawn criticism for its funding decisions, with accusations of "an appalling waste of taxpayers' money" directed at grants awarded to projects described as "woke." These include a workshop exploring the "divisive use of the St George's flag," a queer pan-Asian cabaret, and a gay retelling of "Romeo and Juliet," all funded while traditional museums face closure due to a lack of financial support.
The organization distributes over £840 million annually from taxpayer and National Lottery funds. Recent awards include £100,000 for the Migration Matters Festival in Sheffield. A flag-making workshop at the festival aimed to "reclaim public space with inclusive narratives" in response to what organizers described as the "divisive use of the St George's flag." The festival also featured "The Bull and the Moon," a children's dance performance promoted as a "celebration of gender diversity."
Other funded initiatives include £29,950 to The Bitten Peach Ltd, described as the UK's only queer, pan-Asian cabaret collective, and £35,434 to Curl Girl Productions for "Panjabi Princesses," a show about two queer Panjabi princesses. Playwright Aisha Zia received £32,547 for "Refugee!," a theatre production exploring alleged government complicity in war crimes.
A gay adaptation of "Romeo and Juliet," which imagines the protagonists meeting at a rave and falling for each other, received £30,807. The production, described as "culturally significant," will run for one week and includes funding for cast wages and mental health support.
These grants were awarded during a period when 16 museums across the UK were forced to close. Among them were the RAF Signals Museum, Durham Museum, Llancaiach Fawr Living History Museum, Westbury Manor Museum, and Alyth Museum. These closures were often attributed to factors such as building repair costs and a lack of funds.
Reform UK's Treasury spokesman, Jenrick, criticized the spending as a "waste of taxpayer money" and pledged to "restore common sense" and "root out this divisive woke nonsense" if his party were in power. Conservative shadow minister Neil O'Brien OBE MP stated it was "disgraceful" that taxpayer money was being used for "culture wars" while "museums of genuine national significance fall by the wayside."
An Arts Council England spokesperson defended the funding, stating that the organization supports a "wide range of artists and organisations to produce work that caters to the broad interests, tastes, voices and experiences of people across the country." The spokesperson added that projects often explore "social and political subjects."