This wrong-headed scheme was always doomed to disappoint

Ken Livingstone's rare foray into the arts should have been a cause for celebration.

London's Mayor seldom has anything to say about culture. And there are few things in the capital's cultural life that need addressing more urgently than theatre ticket prices and the alienation that young people and ethnic minority audiences feel from the stage. I have campaigned in this paper for producers to reduce theatre seat prices to cinema levels once a week to encourage a new audience. Some West End producers have made the reduction for selected performances, and have indeed attracted a new, younger audience.

Mr Livingstone tried to achieve the same aim, but in a wrong-headed and ultimately unsuccessful manner. For a start, he should never have used public money to reduce ticket prices. What a sure-fire way to make Londoners hostile to the theatre. All the cash should have come out of the producers' pockets. Any short-term losses would be more than covered by attracting a new audience.

Also, Mr Livingstone's stated mission to woo members of ethnic minorities needed a carefully orchestrated campaign. His cheap tickets initiative had to be aimed at the ethnic minority press. But his was a traditional advertising campaign which attracted a traditional audience.

If Mr Livingstone really wants to voice Londoners' concerns then he should confront producers about booking fees and the high prices of programmes, ice creams and drinks. He could also use his influence to help ease the problems of transport and the chaotic state of the streets. I am not one who believes these factors are more important than high prices in deterring people from going to the theatre, but they certainly add to discontent. The easy gesture of throwing public money at theatres indiscriminately doesn't really address any of the underlying problems.