Liverpool leaders have written to the arts minister, Stephen Parkinson, asking for assurances that the contest to host the English National Opera’s next home is “a level playing field”.
It comes after reports that ministers are backing bids by Manchester and Birmingham as part of their devolution deals.
The ENO has narrowed down its search for a new home to five cities after being forced to leave London. The company’s general public funding was slashed to zero by Arts Council England (ACE) last year as part of plans to divert culture money outside London.
In a letter on Wednesday, copied to the Arts Council and the ENO, the Liverpool mayor, Steve Rotheram, and the city council leader, Liam Robinson, called for urgent clarity on the bidding process to ensure that it was “as fair and transparent as possible”.
“Wherever the ENO next calls home, it should be about choosing the place that offers the best fit for the opera to thrive with a sustainable future – and not simply the place that offers the biggest short-term financial incentives,” they wrote.
“The process so far has been something of a confusing one, with several interested parties taking part in discussions, including the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCSM), Arts Council England and the ENO itself. It would be useful for us to understand exactly who will be making the final decision on a new site.”
Rotheram and Robinson added that while they did “not place too much truck in rumours”, it would be remiss to not “seek your assurances that there is no substance to the reports we have heard of government officials seeking to apply pressure for Manchester and Birmingham’s bid to be successful as an addendum to their ‘Trailblazer Devolutions’ deals”.
The government, the leaders emphasised, had set up the Liverpool strategy futures advisory panel, and they were working with Michael Gove, the minister for levelling up, to identify areas of competitive advantage in the city, including music and its growing visitor economy.
“We would appreciate if you were able to clear up some of the uncertainty surrounding the bidding process and give your assurance that the best bid will be successful. If the process is conducted on a truly level playing field, then we are confident that the ENO will soon be calling the Liverpool city region home.”
While the ENO will continue to stage performances at the London Coliseum, ACE has said its base must be outside the capital if it is to receive £24m in public funding over three years from 2024.
The forced move prompted a backlash from cultural figures including Melvyn Bragg, who decried it as “cultural vandalism”, while others called it a “hammer-blow to the opera industry”.
Critics have questioned whether there is sufficient appetite for opera to sustain the ENO outside London – an assumption sharply rejected by figures such as the Greater Manchester mayor, Andy Burnham, who described that as based on “residual, out-of-date attitudes”.
The final decision on the new location will be taken by the ENO and its board, but the shortlist will be put to ACE.
Rotheram and Robinson said they believed the Liverpool city region had set out “the strongest case that it is viable and sustainable and will allow the company to flourish as it enters its next chapter”. They pointed to the region’s musical heritage, its cultural bodies, including the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts, and its recent hosting of Eurovision.
But, they added, “there is no opera company serving this part of the north-west”, making Liverpool the only shortlisted area lacking any opera provision.
An ACE spokesperson said: “The location of English National Opera’s new base outside of London is a decision for their board and leadership.”
An ENO spokesperson said: “As conversations continue with regional leaders about opening a base for great work outside London, ACE must ensure the ENO is resourced well enough to maintain the world-class opera audiences currently enjoy.”
A DCMS spokesperson said: “Negotiations on the future model for the English National Opera are a matter for the organisation and Arts Council England.”
