THE lack of funding for the arts in East Lancashire is a scandal.

People in this area are not unrealistic. They do not expect to match Manchester and Liverpool where there are established theatres and galleries, as well as major choirs and orchestras.

But for Lancashire residents to receive the equivalent of 60p per tax payer, while those in Greater Manchester get £4.18 and Liverpool £5.97 is a joke.

The red rose county’s rate has been slashed by 39 per cent, leaving what was already paltry funding only enough to fund a handful of groups.

In the big cities, a number of individual organisations have received more than Lancashire’s total.

This creates a vicious cycle. While our funding is so low, the arts cannot truly prosper and there is no way of attracting big money in future.

The Arts Council needs to look again at how it distributes cash.

Rather than simply give grants to existing organisations, it should provide funding for wider arts development.

One idea suggested has been for an arts festival in East Lancashire. That would be a start.

But at present there seems no way to get innovative new schemes off the ground.