Mr Hytner said increased funding had led to more creativity

The heads of the Royal Opera House, National Theatre and the Tate are among those who have joined forces to urge the government not to cut investment.

They want the current level of funding to stay, despite fears the Treasury may have other spending priorities.

National Theatre director Nicholas Hytner said the results of Labour's funding since 1997 were "spectacular".

Creativity

The organisations, led by Arts Council England, the National Museum Directors' Conference and the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council, set out their values in the joint document, Values and Vision: The Contribution of Culture.

Royal Opera House executive director Tony Hall, Tate director Sir Nicholas Serota and South Bank Centre artistic director Jude Kelly are among those involved.

They hope to influnce the Labour government and create favourable conditions for arts and culture in England for the next 10 years.

Since Labour came to power, increased funding has enabled England's national museums and galleries to scrap admission charges.

Seven of the top 10 visitor attractions are publicly-funded museums and galleries Nicholas Hytner

Mr Hytner said the result - along with the further investment and an increase in arts grants and aid over the last nine years - prompted an "enormous" increase in creativity and quality.

"The government really has invested in culture and the arts since 1997 and the results have been spectacular," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

"Museums and galleries are thriving. We really feel we deliver when we are invested in and want to point out what we can do, and what we could do, if this investment is sustained."

He called on the Treasury to see the current level of funding as a "baseline" and stressed the importance of the arts in England.

Olympic boost

"We want the government to understand how appreciative we are of what has happened so far, and essentially we don't want to be cut back," he said.

"Seven of the top 10 visitor attractions are publicly-funded museums and galleries, 85% of overseas visitors come here for our museums and galleries."

Ms Kelly, who is also chairman of the Arts, Culture and Education committee for London's 2012 Olympic bid, said the Olympics could be an opportunity to boost the arts.

"In 2012, the eyes of the world will be on us - and not just to look at the sport, but at the wider culture," she said.