17 January: Following negotiations with Arts Council England (ACE), the English National Opera (ENO) will receive £11.46m of funding to sustain its work in London for the next financial year.

In November last year, ACE announced the starkest bout of arts cuts in London for a generation, driven by a request from Government to remove tens of millions of pounds of arts funding in the capital as part of its levelling up agenda.

ACE has said that the £11.46m of funding is to “sustain a programme of work at the ENO’s home, the London Coliseum, and at the same time help the ENO start planning for a new base outside London by 2026”

In response, the ENO said that is remains “concerned that this only gives audiences and our workforce one year’s reprieve, and still leaves a huge amount of uncertainty regarding the ENO’s future”.

Commenting on the announcement, Ros Morgan, Chief Executive of Heart of London, said:

“Heart of London welcomes this funding from Arts Council England that will enable the ENO to plan for the immediate future. It’s now essential that funding beyond this year is agreed so that the ENO can retain a London presence whilst continuing to deliver on the Government’s levelling up agenda.”