In a contracting arts funding environment, Michael Kenny, Owen Garling and Steph Coulter of the Bennett Institute for Public Policy explore what the case for a cultural infrastructure might look like.
Over the course of the last decade, there has been a substantial reduction in how much funding local government in England receives, with the National Audit Office estimating it was reduced by over 50 per cent in the decade between 2010/11 and 2020/21. Coupled with other shocks, such as the COVID pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis, more and more local authorities are reaching the point where their finances are becoming unsustainable, as evidenced by the increasing number of Section 114 notices being issued by crisis-ridden councils.
The nature of the services that local government delivers, and in particular the mix of statutory services, such as social care, it is legally obliged to provide, alongside the non-statutory ones that local government has traditionally delivered, means that reductions in funding are not falling equally across services.
What does this mean for cultural provision and the arts in England, given that local government is still the largest funder in this area, providing over half of all public spend on arts in the year 2019/20? Announcement of cuts in funding for arts and culture have been made by many local authorities, with perhaps the most extreme examples being Suffolk County Council and Nottingham City Council’s recent declarations that they will be ending the funding of cultural services entirely... Keep reading on Local Government Association.
Over the course of the last decade, there has been a substantial reduction in how much funding local government in England receives, with the National Audit Office estimating it was reduced by over 50 per cent in the decade between 2010/11 and 2020/21. Coupled with other shocks, such as the COVID pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis, more and more local authorities are reaching the point where their finances are becoming unsustainable, as evidenced by the increasing number of Section 114 notices being issued by crisis-ridden councils.
The nature of the services that local government delivers, and in particular the mix of statutory services, such as social care, it is legally obliged to provide, alongside the non-statutory ones that local government has traditionally delivered, means that reductions in funding are not falling equally across services.
What does this mean for cultural provision and the arts in England, given that local government is still the largest funder in this area, providing over half of all public spend on arts in the year 2019/20? Announcement of cuts in funding for arts and culture have been made by many local authorities, with perhaps the most extreme examples being Suffolk County Council and Nottingham City Council’s recent declarations that they will be ending the funding of cultural services entirely... Keep reading on Local Government Association.