English National Opera move must be transparent, say Liverpool politicians

Liverpool's political leaders are seeking assurances the process to pick a new home for the English National Opera will be transparent and free from political interference.

Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram called the decision-making process "complicated".

In a letter to Culture Minister Lord Parkinson, Mr Rotheram and Liverpool City Council leader Liam Robinson said it would be "an honour" to bring the English National Opera (ENO) to Liverpool, a city with "an unmatched musical heritage".

The letter said: "As a Unesco City of Music playing home of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts, our city goes hand in glove with the aims of the ENO and its drive to take opera to the masses.

"At present, there are 1.6m people in the city region who are not currently served by opera despite the presence of a strong regional interest."

It added: "Touring performances by the Welsh National Opera and Glyndebourne have regularly been very popular, though their withdrawal now means that there is no opera company serving this part of the North West, stretching beyond our city region and into areas such as Cheshire.

"Indeed, among shortlisted areas, ours is the only one currently lacking any opera provision as well as the only core city with no Arts Council-funded touring opera."

The letter said the bidding process had so far been confusing, with several parties - the government, the Arts Council and the ENO taking part.

The Labour politicians said they wanted to understand exactly who will be making the final decision on a new site.

The letter also referenced rumours government officials had sought to apply pressure for Manchester or Birmingham's bid to be successful as "an addendum to their Trailblazer Devolution deals".

Mr Rotheram and Mr Robinson asked for assurances there was no substance to these suggestions.

The letter concluded: "We would appreciate if you were able to clear up some of the uncertainty surrounding the bidding process and give your assurances 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."

The Department for Culture Media and Sport, Arts Council England and ENO have been approached for comment.

A spokesperson for ENO said: "Arts Council England (ACE) have clearly stated that future funding of the ENO is dependent on us relocating.

"As we work through their process, our primary concern is how we maintain our 300 strong specialist workforce built up over decades.

"As conversations continue with regional leaders about opening a base for great work outside of London, ACE must ensure the ENO is resourced well enough to maintain the world class opera audiences currently enjoy."