The Arts Council has defended its funding cut to the Poetry Book Society (PBS).

In a letter to the Times, Antonia Byatt, pictured, director of literature at Arts Council England, said the "reach and distribution" of the PBS "was not as wide or effective as other applicants'". She added that the Arts Council had "actually increased its investment in poetry and poetry publishing".

She said: "Following the cut to the Arts Council budget we said tough choices would have to be made and that regretfully we would not be able to support some excellent organisations."

She added: "We will be investing in poetry publishers and the Arts Council is also funding the Poetry Society, which publishes Poetry Review, while the Poetry Archive and new entrants to our national portfolio, National Poetry Day and Poet in the City, will focus on building new audiences."

Her letter follows one sent to the Times on Friday by nine poets, including poet laureate Carol Ann Duffy and Don Paterson, calling for ACE to "urgently reconsider their decision" to withdraw funding.

The PBS will lose its regular funding from April 2012, following the government's cuts in its spending review of October 2010. It is receiving £111,299 from the Arts Council in its final year of funding for the 2011-12 financial year. 

The Poetry Book Society on its website describes itself as “providing information, guidance and discounts on the best contemporary poetry for a wide-ranging community of readers. The PBS is the biggest dedicated poetry bookseller in the UK”.

Here's the list of Arts Council funding decisions announced last week.