Greater transparency in Arts Council England (ACE) Regional funding has been called for by Emmanuel Amevor, director of Centerprise, the Dalston-based, internationally renowned literature development agency. Centerprise is the leading literature development agency in London specialising in targeting BAME communities and has been recommended for a 100 per cent cut in funding by ACE officers.

Speaking on BBC London Radio yesterday Sunday 27th January, Mr Amevor, who last year founded Word Power, International Black Literature Festival and Book Fair, called on the Arts Council to reveal their hidden funding criteria.

Noting that the Council has not justified the intended cuts to long surviving arts organisations, such as the 37-year old Centerprise in Hackney, East London, Mr Amevor said he nevertheless was delighted that the Arts Council wants to bring in new arts groups. However, he felt that the Council should be obliged to explain what criteria they will be using to judge both old and new groups. He asked, "Is it just friends and friends of friends?" Mr Amevor urged ACE to take a leaf from London Councils' book of Open Bidding for funding.

He welcomed ACE's Chairman, Sir Christopher Frayling's admission that mistakes were made by his officers in their assessment of funded groups, and called for "fairness, equality and justice" at the Arts Council meeting reported to be taking place on theTuesday 29 January.

Richard Gibson, Chair of Centerprise and also a director of the newly created Carnival Village in Notting Hill, commented: "There has been wide condemnation of the manner in which the Arts Council has sought to rid itself of established arts organisations that are thriving, such as Centerprise, by claiming they are at financial risk. In fact the main risk comes from the massive cuts in funding proposed by the Arts Council itself. This at a time when it is clear ACE has more than enough funding to maintain them. We welcome funding the new, but we also believe that the criteria for funding should be publicized and applied equally to all, the new as well as the old.

"Surreptitious culling of arts organisations by the Arts Council would be a naked violation of natural justice and should be subject to judicial review. That could be a waste of time and money, but it might be necessary if the Arts Council will not recognise the injustice of its proposed killing off of some of this country's finest arts organisations."