ABSTRACT
The second decade of the Arts Council's existence was uneventful. No major changes were initiated and the issue of funding the arts had to become a source of contention. The arts remained a minor concern and occupied a low position on the government's list of 'jobs to do'. Arts policy began under a Labour government in 1946 and it was another Labour government which introduced substantial changes in the mid 1960s. With Harold Wilson at the helm, this Labour government steered a course which would significantly alter the relationship between the government and the Arts Council. The government moved closer to the Arts Council while claiming it was, and should be kept, at 'arm's length' from the Council. It was alleging that the Arts Council was independent but also directly accountable to the government. The government was casting out strings and these strings could be pulled or loosened as circumstances decreed.
