English National Opera fights plans to relocate company out of London

The English National Opera is fighting against plans for the company to be relocated out of London in order to qualify for future grants.

On Friday, Arts Council England (ACE) announced plans to cut the company’s entire £12.6m annual grant from 2023.

Instead the arts body is giving the company £17m over three years - but only if it relocates, possibly to Manchester.

ACE cut £50m a year from arts organisations in London in its 2023-26 settlement, announced last week, to fulfil a government instruction to divert money away from the capital as part of the levelling up programme.

On Wednesday ENO boss Stuart Murphy said: "I think we’re going to be saying to the secretary of state tomorrow and to the Arts Council, ‘We can definitely do levelling up, but that can only happen with a big London base.’"

He described the Arts Council’s plan - which he only learned about a day before the announcement - as "absurd" and "insane".

The prestigious company has launched a petition calling for the decision to be reversed led by opera singer Sir Bryn Terfe, which has more than 16,000 signatures.

Sir Terfe wrote: “The careers of singers, musicians, technical staff, creatives and other skilled workers both permanent and freelance will be at risk.

“ENO made a “vital contribution to London’s global cultural status as well as supporting their levelling up agenda nationwide and their groundbreaking ENO Breathe NHS programme for long Covid sufferers. ENO is Opera for Everyone!”

Arts Council England said: “We require English National Opera to move to another part of England if they wish to continue to receive support from us.

“We raised Manchester as an option and English National Opera initially received that idea positively.

“ENO’s future is in their hands. At this early stage we have announced our funding plans, and now we hope to engage in detailed planning with them.

“This would involve ENO reshaping their business model and finding a suitable location outside of London.”

Murphy, who recently announced his departure from the ENO, called on the Arts Council to carry out a strategic review of opera provision across the country.

He warned: "If they’re not careful, they’re going to dismantle an arts organisation that’s been in existence for almost 100 years and is seen as a beacon for progressive work that’s broken down preconceptions of opera."

The ENO is based at the London Coliseum in Covent Garden and is one of two major opera companies in the capital, along with the Royal Opera.

The grant delivered by the Arts Council, using government money, accounts for around a third of its annual income.