The letter asks the government to invest in regional galleries and museums and is signed by a collective of well-known British artists including Anish Kapoor, Rachel Whiteread and Peter Blake.

The group wants Gordon Brown to support a report by the Regional Museums Taskforce (Resource) from last year which called for a �370m cash injection to revitalise local cultural centres.

The artists say that they are "deeply conscious of the local roots of our inspiration."

The Department for Media, Culture and Sport responded to the report with a �10m investment but any further funding needs to come from the Treasury.

What would you say if you were the Chancellor? Should the spending be made in the regions?

This debate is now closed. Read a selection of your comments below.

Your reaction

Britain is becoming dehumanised, our population cares less, is more violent, more stressed and less happy than ever before. Maybe some focus on art, culture, even philosophy is what's needed. Putting it back into the national curriculum wouldn't hurt either.
KS, Uk

We allow the arts repeatedly to be hijacked by trivia

Paul B, Oxfordshire

I believe there are two main reasons that the arts in this country need support. The first is that so many people cannot see beyond the cocoon of their own daily pre-packaged existences and their diet of �Big Brother�, boy bands and soap operas. The other reason is that we allow the arts repeatedly to be hijacked by trivia like Tracy Emin�s dirty knickers. There may be a place for exhibits like this but it�s certainly not at the front of the queue and it makes a mockery of the arts in the perception of the general public.
Paul B, Oxfordshire, UK

If "Local Arts" are any good they will fund themselves. I'd rather see a few more Nurses or Policemen than more of the utter tripe that wins the Turner Prize.
Shaun, Teignmouth UK

I didn't have time to read all of the replies here, as I was too busy turning the light on and off. Do I get my money now?
Neill Courtney, USA ex UK

For those who think we should not fund the arts at all it may be worth remembering that history tends to judge societies on the basis of thier creative output. On the subject on regional funding I'd suggest it may more sense to provide funds at a regional level than provide millions for a project such as the Royal Opera House which is inaccessible for most geographically and financially.
Peter Wilkinson, UK

If I were the Chancellor I'd ask Hockney to apply his talents to the design of a decent �5 note.
Chris B, England

Art achieves nothing

Alan Wilson, UK

Personally I view those who push for any funding of the arts as parasites. They can charge admission to their treasured exhibits, so let the people who want to see/experience them pay. Art achieves nothing, except satisfying the vanity and attention-seeking nature of its creators. Enough public money is wasted already - please draw the line here! When people all over the country are homeless, and the NHS is failing surely someone in government should say NO.
Alan Wilson, UK

The local art college encouraged designers like Clarice Cliff

John Heesom, England

I utterly disagree with Alan Wilson in the above comment. I come from Stoke on Trent which is not a pretty place but it has produced some of the finest works of ceramic art to adorn the world. Thirty years ago the world was clamouring to by our fine ceramics and the local art college encouraged designers like Susie Cooper and Clarice Cliff to challenge the stuffy designs of the day and produce innovative designs which sold around the world and provided much work for the local population.
John Heesom, England

What a dull world it would be if we believed Alan Wilson's claim that "art achieves nothing". I suppose we might as well do away with sport, music, novels and drama as well as painting. I would have thought, given the depressing news rolling in from all round the globe, that beauty, and beautiful things, have never been more important.
Graeme Colquhoun, Scotland

It is an upper class subsidy

Jonathan Michaud, UK

No! In the current climate there are far higher priorities for government spending than local art. I have nothing against art, but it is an upper class subsidy. It reminds me of the likes of David Puttnam banging on about how the government should fund a film industry in the UK in the 1980s. Since then we have seen a number of successful British films, privately funded. The NHS and education are ahead in a long line!
Jonathan Michaud, UK

I have no trouble at all with support for regional arts (local theatres etc). What appals me is the disgraceful way that 'premier league' art organisations sponge so much money - especially those in London. When we buy our lottery tickets, there should be extra boxes to tick, indicating where we want the 'good causes' money from our ticket to go. I bet the arts box wouldn't get ticked very often!
Paul, UK

Why should the public (ie me) be expected to pay a small group of self-serving artists to produce a product I have no interest in? I don't see the successful artists then paying back all the subsidies they received earlier in their careers.
Sandy, UK

The arts enrich our lives. We need more of it. I would like to see all museums become free, such as the excellent Millennium Point Think-tank Museum in Birmingham.
David Hartley,
Stourbridge, West Midlands, UK

State-funded art is elitist dross

David Reich, UK

No, there should be no state funding of the arts at all! Almost all of the state-funded art is elitist dross which nobody really wants. If there was a real demand for it then someone would already be providing it without subsidy. Scrap the subsidies altogether - let those who want art pay for it in full, just like the rest of us do with books, magazines, CDs, DVDs etc.
David Reich, UK

It is essential to push for more funding for local arts. Although people in Taiwan are generally free from want, material affluence has brought with it worrisome problems. Many people prefer to spend leisure time on gambling and harmful recreations rather than appreciate art. Good art goes a long way towards improving the lives and spirit of people. Therefore, the authorities should spare no effort to promote arts and provide environments for art exhibition. That way, we may get rid of people's emptiness in their spiritual lives. It is a must to give funding for local arts.
Yen-mu Wu, Taiwan

Yes, why not give them lots more cash so that they can perhaps buy a chunk of chalk and sit it in the sea to "sculpt" it, or perhaps just burning the money in some symbolic way that only makes sense to art critics that follow each other like sheep? These days art is awash with pure junk that five-year-olds can come up with. A five-year-old is far too honest to try and con people out of money for it however.
Fraser Heath, Aberdeen, UK

I am not artistic, but I love art

Mel, UK

I live in Spitalfields which is awash with arts but is crying out for local funding. We have at present a number of well-known artists and sculptors living in the area, including Tracy Emin and Gilbert and George. But the people I am talking about are those who are constantly trying to get exhibitions and frequently show their art on the streets on a sunny Sunday. That specific area is steeped in culture and buckets of history. I am not artistic, but I love art, I collect art. So please: don't waste those who have this talent.
Mel, UK

No. If there's a demand the enterprise market will meet it.
Will Rossetti, UK

No. Art deserves no funding other than what the artists put into it themselves. Art attracts only the middle class who earn enough to visit an art gallery anyway. Artists could probably make enough money selling their work to collectors. Also artists choose to be artists and they know that earning money that way may be difficult. I don't ask for handouts doing my job.
Peter, UK

We are such a serious, beleaguered, whingeing nation

Jayne, UK

All the arts are in desperate need of local funding. Britain has had a fine tradition of encouraging and supporting new talent, but now it is difficult for a young person, whether artist, musician or writer, to find any opportunities at all to display their talent. While vast amounts of money are paid out to support those who have had media attention, such as Tracy Emin, there is little encouragement for those still struggling for recognition. More needs to be done to promote the richness brought by ethnic artists into the community. We are such a serious, beleaguered, whingeing nation these days. Let's put more funding into the arts, and give us all something to be proud of and enjoy for a change!
Jayne, UK