In 2008 it was stated that local government was not sufficiently engaged with England's voluntary arts sector, interaction generally occurring in a reactive and ad hoc manner
Our Creative Talent: the voluntary and amateur arts in England, Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) and Arts Council England (ACE), July 2008

A 2008 survey found that many within England's voluntary arts sector saw the complexity of grant application processes and sector legislation as having a negative effect on the sector. It was felt that the professional sector had been unduly privileged by public policy in some areas.
Our Creative Talent: the voluntary and amateur arts in England, DCMS and ACE, July 2008

In 2005-06, local authority and other public funding (not including Arts Council Funding) accounted for 12% of the income generated by ACE's regularly funded organisations. The biggest contribution was earned income, which represented 44% of total income, with Arts Council subsidy making up 36% of total income, and donations and private contributions 9%.
Regularly funded organisations: key data from the 2005/06 annual submission, ACE, July 2007

In 2006, local authorities' arts budgets lost £5.5 million in direct services and £18 million in leverage funding.
NALGAO survey, National Association of Local Government Arts Officers, 2006

According to a survey by NALGAO, 79 % of local councils were due to cut their arts services in 2006, by an average of 12.9%, and four were due to cut their services entirely, joining the 22 arts services lost in the previous three years. 20% of local councils were due to increase their arts spending by between 3.5% and 40%. In a survey by the Local Government Authority, 41% of councils said that the government's spending review in 2004 had had an impact on their cultural services. 39% had decreased their investment in cultural services and 35% had increased this.
Survey shows drop in council arts spending, Arts Industry, 7 April 2006

On average, each arts service levers between three and four times its investment.
Local pips are squeaking, Arts Industry, 8 September 2006