• Home
  • About
  • Subscribe
  • LATIF
  • Conferences
  • Dashboard
  • Edit My Profile
  • Log In
  • Logout
  • Register
  • Edit this post

Room 151

  • 151 BRIEF

    What's New?

  • £400bn pension group collaborates on climate transition initiative

    May 17, 2022

  • CIPFA rejects proposal for vote on publication of fraud hub report

    May 17, 2022

  • John Turnbull elected president of the SLT

    May 12, 2022

  • Pension pool identifies biodiversity as a priority

    May 11, 2022

  • TfL latest to face credit-rating downgrade by Moody’s

    May 10, 2022

  • Government proposes ‘fairer, more accurate’ business rates system

    May 10, 2022

  • Treasury
  • Technical
  • Funding
  • Resources
  • LGPS
  • Development
  • 151 News
  • Blogs
    • David Green
    • Agent 151
    • Dan Bates
    • Richard Harbord
    • Stephen Sheen
    • James Bevan
    • Steve Bishop
    • Cllr John Clancy
    • David Crum
    • Graham Liddell
    • Ian O’Donnell
    • Jackie Shute
  • Interviews
  • Briefs

Councils divided on arts cuts

0
  • by Jo Tura
  • in Funding · Recent Posts
  • — 8 May, 2013

Many councils have been reducing their funding to arts, sport and culture in the face of cuts from central government. Newcastle, Somerset and Moray all recently hit the headlines for proposing a 100% arts budget cut although Newcastle has now found an innovative solution to its funding crisis.

However councils have been doing their best to continue supporting the arts and some, like Belfast, have even increased funding to the area. A recent report from the Local Government Association found that for every £1 invested in the arts, another £4 is generated. The arts provide nearly a million jobs, with 67,000 cultural businesses contributing £28bn to the economy every year.

Belfast is increasing spending on the arts by 27% and has agreed a £4.1m package for the next three years. The city has a Cultural Framework to increase audiences and visitor numbers and plans on generating £8 for every £1 invested.

Manchester, like Newcastle, is in the middle ground of cutting funding but trying to find constructive solutions. The council has identified £290,000 in savings, a 5% cut. “Within this we’ve made sure that small arts organisations have not suffered any funding cuts,” said a spokesman for the council, “with the rationale that many of these small groups would be unable to carry on without this money.” The council has kept up a close dialogue with the larger arts organisations and in many cases has agreed a reduction in funding only if it will not jeopardise the organisations’ future.

Newcastle will spend £1.9m on culture over the next three years and has created a Culture Fund which will draw money from various council streams as well as other areas. “We’re guaranteeing that it will have a £600,000 per annum level of funding from 2015-16, but the fund is open to others contributors,” Newcastle’s director of culture, libraries and lifelong learning told Room 151 a couple of weeks ago.

“So should Bryan Ferry, for example, wish to contribute to the Culture Fund he could, easily, but he wouldn’t be giving the money to the council. The Community Foundation will set up a panel – which will include some elected members but not in the majority – who will make the decisions about funding as we move forward.”

Councils are also making loans to sporting clubs to help them out of difficulties. The Gloucestershire Local Enterprise Partnership recently shortlisted its local football club for Growing Places funding to help build a new stadium in the local area. Portsmouth also helped out its football club with a loan with strict conditions and guarantees attached. Portsmouth’s S151 Chris Ward said: “Rather than see the club liquidated and there be no football club of any standing in Portsmouth, the council thought that it was in the wider interest for the club to remain and the council to provide a loan to facilitate that.” The economic rationale was football matches bring people into the city and support the surrounding businesses.

Even small scale arts, sport and culture funding projects such as Kirklees’ Arts in the Neighbourhood grant scheme are still being viewed as healthy for growth. “The main purpose of Arts in the Neighbourhood is to achieve social outcomes,” said Adele Poppleton, creative economy and VCS development manager at Kirklees Council. However it is important to note that there is a positive impact on the economy. Groups buy services and products from local suppliers; local artists gain employment; people volunteer and develop skills for future employment; Kirklees has developed a reputation as a creative, innovative place which attracts investors. In 2011/12 Creative Partners, arts organisations we invest in and work in partnership with, generated £9.78 of other income for every £1 invested by the council.”

Share

You may also like...

  • Time to pause adult social care proposals 13th Apr, 2022
  • Warrington’s credit rating downgraded by Moody’s 3rd May, 2022
  • Room151’s 10th Anniversary: A decade has seen systemic change to funding while core values are more important than ever 8th Nov, 2021
  • A property fire sale triggered by Prudential Code could ‘shatter’ confidence in local economies 7th Dec, 2021

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

  • Register to become a Room151 user

  • Latest tweets

    Room151 22 hours ago

    More evidence of the importance of emerging markets in the journey to net-zero. @BordertoCoast @BrunelPP @northernlgps @EAPensionFund @WYPF_LGPS Click the link below to read 🔻🔻 #LGPS #NetZero #NetZeroCarbon #EmergingMarkets room151.co.uk/brief/400bn-pe… pic.twitter.com/qCm0EGxzLn

    Room151 5 days ago

    ‘Urgent consultation’ issued in response to continuing audit delays: CIPFA and the Local Authority Scotland Accounts Advisory Committee (LASAAC) have announced another “urgent consultation” to consider proposals to address the latest issue that has led… dlvr.it/SQJ0kV pic.twitter.com/s6vw0bnGXO

    Room151 6 days ago

    Bags of capacity – now to housing delivery: HRAs have been freed up and councils are starting to invest, but some remain cautious, writes Steve Partridge. He suggests that a minimum of £10bn of additional borrowing could be[...] dlvr.it/SQDvxk pic.twitter.com/yZmoWzHv6U

    Room151 6 days ago

    Bags of capacity – now to housing delivery room151.co.uk/treasury/bags-…

    Room151 7 days ago

    To Michael Gove: a modest proposal: Conrad Hall has written an open letter to the levelling up secretary suggesting an unusual (and tongue-in-cheek) proposal to help councils predict next year’s government grant. Dear Secretary of State,[...] dlvr.it/SQ9GpX pic.twitter.com/mSX1xgeL8a

    Room151 7 days ago

    Queen’s Speech: an ambitious plan hampered by omissions: Richard Harbord examines the impact of the government’s legislative proposals on councils, and concludes that local authorities expect and need more from central government. However you view the… dlvr.it/SQ8hmP pic.twitter.com/BsnziyNPIO

    Room151 1 week ago

    Insights and inspiration from LGPS leaders past and present: Four current and former LGPS leaders have recently given powerful and insightful interviews as part of the Fiftyfaces podcast, which showcases inspiring investors and their stories. Hosted by… dlvr.it/SQ53lC pic.twitter.com/IRYMFPxdA2

  • Categories

    • 151 News
    • Agent 151
    • Audit
    • Blogs
    • Business rates
    • Chris Buss
    • Cllr John Clancy
    • Council tax
    • Dan Bates
    • David Crum
    • David Green
    • Development
    • Education
    • Forum
    • Funding
    • Governance
    • Graham Liddell
    • Housing
    • Ian O'Donnell
    • Infrastructure
    • Interviews
    • Jackie Shute
    • James Bevan
    • Jobs
    • Levelling up
    • LGPS
    • Mark Finnegan
    • Net Zero
    • Private markets
    • Recent Posts
    • Regulation
    • Resources
    • Responsible investing
    • Richard Harbord
    • Risk management
    • Social care
    • Stephen Fitzgerald
    • Stephen Sheen
    • Steve Bishop
    • Technical
    • Transport
    • Treasury
    • Uncategorized
    • William Bourne
  • Archives

    • 2022
    • 2021
    • 2020
    • 2019
    • 2018
    • 2017
    • 2016
    • 2015
    • 2014
    • 2013
    • 2012
    • 2011
  • Previous story Preview: An interview with Mike Jensen
  • Next story UK Bank of England meeting day

© Copyright 2022 Room 151. Typegrid Theme by WPBandit.

0 shares