THE chief executive of the Arts Council has praised Bradford’s arts scene, saying it provides the perfect way to showcase the city on an international stage.

Darren Henley, Chief Executive of the Arts Council, compared the city’s current scene to David Hockney, saying both recognised the importance of embracing Bradford’s past while seizing new opportunities.

He was speaking exclusively to Local Democracy Reporter Chris Young, and explained why the Arts Council had ramped up its investment in the city in recent years.

The group, which supports arts across the country with millions of pounds of funding, was criticised by Bradford Council in 2014 for “ignoring” the city.

That year a report revealed that through one of its main funding pots, the Arts Council spent only £10.69 per person in Bradford over five years, while Leeds had 11 times as much, at £110.92 per person.

At the time Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe, then executive member for culture, called on the Arts Council to give more cash to grassroots organisations, “rather than it being sucked into the big institutions in the big cities.”

But recent years has seen the Arts Council massively increase its support for the city’s arts scene.

Last year it announced a total of £7m in funding would head to the district. Bradford Literature Festival, Common Wealth theatre group, Kala Sangam and the Bronte Society were among the groups that are now receiving major support from the organisation.

Mr Henley said his group was now working much closer with the city, adding: “We have a very strong partnership with Bradford Council. Susan Hinchcliffe has a very strong sense of the importance of culture in a city like Bradford.

“It is important to have these partnerships when local authorities are under huge pressures when it comes to spending.

“We have increased our spending in Bradford by 65 per cent. We’re now spending £7 million in Bradford - it is a big investment.

“With Bradford I see that there is a big feeling of opportunity here. There is an exciting buzz around the place. It is a young city and very vibrant.

“We see Bradford as an interesting place where we can help do great things.”

Discussing why arts is so important for places like Bradford, which face other issues like crime and poverty, he said: “You can have manufacturing and industry, but it is important that people have arts and culture in their lives, and are able to participate in it. Having art around you makes you feel better.

“It is important that people in Bradford have the same access to arts and culture as people in places like London.”

He praised Bradford’s “DIY” art scene that has seen small groups from the city achieve national acclaim, referring to theatre group Commonwealth and arts group The Brick Box.

He added: “When you have these groups from Bradford creating art, it gets the city’s name out there around the country. It paints the city as a creative hub in the centre of England. Events like the Literature Festival help put Bradford on a national stage.

“What you see around this city is the spark of something, with organisations and artists coming together. You get a real sense of there being an artistic community. You look at the Literature Festival, which is getting bigger every year. There is a real strong trajectory of growth in the city.”

He compared the current arts scene, and there moves to try new things, in Bradford to the city’s most famous artist, saying: “You have an artist like Hockney who re-invented himself by using modern technology like iPads. It is a bit of a metaphor for Bradford - it is full of people who seize new opportunities and make the most of the wonderful mix of old and new here.”

Councillor Sarah Ferriby, Bradford Council’s Executive Member for Healthy People & Places, said: “We set out with a very clear objective to achieve more money for Bradford District organisations for art and culture and that’s what we’ve achieved.

“We were delighted last year to see a 65 per cent uplift in the funding received by a variety of Bradford organisations from the Arts Council, from Ilkley Literature Festival to Kala Sangam.

“We’re setting out an objective to grow this still further because arts and culture is a key part of unleashing the full potential of this great district both in terms of the great economic benefits and in making it a wonderful place to live.”