On 4 November 2022, Arts Council England (ACE) dropped the axe on English National Opera. The company was removed from its national portfolio o f organisations guaranteed to receive funding, and its £12.6m annual grant withdrawn. ACE dangled a £17m lifeline, but it came with one condition: the company must relocate outside London. Less “levelling up” than levelling ENO to the ground.

Outcry soon forced a walk-back – a temporary bridging grant to keep the doors open, increased funding for relocation, the deadline for the big move postponed. Everything went quiet for a while, until last November when ENO announced Greater Manchester as their new home. The relocation won’t be complete until 2029, but this month marks the first time in 40 years that ENO will live up to the “National” in its

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