Minister admits the arts not properly backed by States

Monday 24th October 2011, 2:29PM BST.

Deputy Mike O'Hara, Minister for Culture and Leisure, IT WOULD take an ‘art tax’ or a ‘golden pot of money’ from the States to give the arts the funding it needs, the Culture and Leisure minister said at the weekend.

Speaking at the third Art and Islands conference, Mike O’Hara (pictured) talked about his frustration that quite often creative projects were handicapped by a lack of financial support.

It followed comments from Art and Islands founding director Eric Snell that the current level of States funding would just about give every islander a pen.

Deputy O’Hara agreed more needed to be done.