National Opera gets £11m lifeline after threat of forced relocation

London company may no longer have to move out entirely as Arts Council softens stance on its future

ENGLISH NATIONAL OPERA has been granted a reprieve in the form of £11million in emergency funding as the Arts Council softens its stance on forcing the company out of London.

Arts Council England said last year that English National Opera (ENO) would lose its £12million funding unless it moved out of the capital, presenting the choice between relocating and effectively “closing down”, according to critics of the decision.

ENO has now been given an £11 million package of National Lottery funding to prop up planned productions after crisis talks overseen by the Government.

It is understood that the company may no longer have to uproot entirely.

Stuart Murphy, ENO’S chief executive, has said while the “sword of Damocles” still hangs over the opera company, the council has “rowed back” from a choice between leaving London or losing funding.

Mr Murphy told The Daily Telegraph talks had moved towards a “dual base” model, which could see ENO technically headquartered outside London, but retaining a strong presence in the capital from its current base at the London Coliseum theatre. He said: “Since November we have been having regular meetings convened by the DCMS [Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport]. The first thing we said we needed to do was work out emergency funding, and that has now been agreed.

“There is still this massive sword of Damocles hanging over our head, which is what will happen in 2024.

“That’s what negotiations will be focused on. But the Arts Council has been very clear they do not want to see us go bust and that is very reassuring.”

The apparent change in approach comes after an outcry from the public and politicians at the decision to pull funding, which included Nadine Dorries, the former culture secretary, and Caroline Dinenage, an arts minister.

It is understood that part of the £11 million emergency funding is intended to help ENO begin its move out of London and future grants will depend on the company’s agreement to establish a base outside the capital.

Mr Murphy said the Arts Council has been “very clear that future funding is dependent on us setting up a base outside London”.

Darren Henley, the chief executive of Arts Council England, said the £11million package “will provide the ENO with stability and continuity, while they plan their future”.

He added: “We want to back an exciting programme of work from the ENO in a new home, and make sure it stays part of the brilliant London arts offer, at the Coliseum.”