Friday, 15 February 2019
The proportion of ‘unknown’ data on ethnicity at large organisations has rocketed up, raising serious questions about the quality of data.
People who identify as BME and disabled remain under-represented in the largest core-funded arts organisations in the country, despite four years of being required to publish diversity data, a new report from Arts Council England (ACE) reveals.
Just 5% of National Portfolio Organisation (NPO) staff are disabled, despite this group making up 20% of the working age population. 12% of core funded... read more
Friday, 15 February 2019
A proposed extension to the Freedom of Information Act would see leisure trusts, which increasingly run arts services, returned to “direct public scrutiny”.
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The Information Commissioner (ICO) has challenged parliament to take “urgent action” to close a loophole in transparency laws that is allowing some local authority-funded arts services to be exempt from public requests about internal communications and financial activity.
The ICO says it is... read more
Friday, 15 February 2019
Detailed information on the demographics of the creative workforce has been released for the first time in seven years.
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The youngest segment of the UK workforce is still significantly under-represented in cultural professions, new research reveals.
Just 2% of the cultural sector is made up of people aged 16-19, despite these making up 3.2% of the working population – a representation gap of over a third.
Charity... read more
Friday, 15 February 2019
Ministers have been warned that plans for a new Governmental culture champion have been met with ‘mixed’ reaction from the sector.
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A dedicated fund to support culture in rural areas is one of the ideas proposed by respondents to the Scottish Government’s consultation on its proposed draft cultural strategy.
A report on responses to the consultation says that a “Cultural Sustainability Fund for rural Scotland” was suggested, as... read more
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Friday, 15 February 2019
The increase has been attributed to a 2m growth in tourist visits in one year.
Scotland’s heritage sector makes important contributions to economic growth, wellbeing and reducing carbon emissions in the country, a new report finds.
Over £4bn was generated for the Scottish economy by the country’s heritage sector in 2017-18, driven by increasing numbers of tourist visits. 18... read more
Friday, 08 February 2019
Annually Funded Organisations are suffering “damage to long-term sustainability”, having slashed marketing budgets in the face of core funding cuts of almost 40% over three years.
Arts attendance in Northern Ireland is falling rapidly as cash-strapped venues rein in their spending on programming, artists and marketing, research commissioned by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland (ACNI) has found.
The internal report, released following a Freedom of Information request by... read more
Friday, 08 February 2019
The Creative Land Trust, backed by seed funding of £4m from City Hall and £2m from Arts Council England, will seek additional finance from property developers and ask London councils to safeguard affordable workspaces.
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London Mayor Sadiq Khan has launched a new independent trust to protect and support affordable artist workspace in the city.
The Creative Land Trust is backed by £4m from City Hall and £2m from Arts Council England (ACE), alongside funding from Bloomberg Philanthropies.
The Mayor’s office said the... read more
Friday, 08 February 2019
An analysis of the Department for Education’s own figures finds that since 2014, the proportion of students taking music GCSE has fallen by 17%, and the proportion taking at least one arts GCSE has fallen by almost 18%.
New research challenges Schools Minister Nick Gibb’s claim that the numbers of students taking arts subjects at GCSE is “broadly stable”. Analysis of the Department for Education’s (DfE) own figures shows that the proportions of students taking both music and other arts GCSEs have fallen by more... read more
Friday, 08 February 2019
Working practices that “wouldn't be tolerated in any other industry” have become the norm across the sector, with employees and freelances expected to work for nothing to enable their artist output to be delivered.
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A culture of long unpaid hours at work and expectations that arts workers will take on duties in their own time are combining to make working life in the arts unsustainable for many.
Responses to the ArtsPay 2018 survey of pay and earnings in the cultural sector suggest that creative workers on... read more
Friday, 08 February 2019
An enquiry backed by the UK’s four arts councils recommends that creative industry tax reliefs should be extended, that more cultural organisations adopt contactless giving, and that cities across the UK introduce fiscal measures such as a tourist tax to fund culture.
Cities across the UK have been urged to bring together business, education and cultural leaders in formal partnerships to “unlock the full potential” of the arts as a driver of community cohesion and economic growth.
A new report, backed by the Government and the UK’s four arts councils, recommends... read more
Friday, 08 February 2019
MPs from Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales and England spoke in favour of setting up a new award to rival the City of Culture award, which has been credited with rejuvenating areas of the UK.
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MPs from all four nations of the UK have backed calls for a new ‘Town of Culture’ programme, modelled on the European City of Culture and UK City of Culture awards.
Speaking at a House of Commons debate on the proposed new scheme, politicians highlighted the strong cultural offer in the towns they... read more
Friday, 01 February 2019
A student’s academic ability and the wealth of their parents are key indicators of the likelihood that they will get the chance to study arts subjects at A level in school, new figures reveal.
Students living in areas of highest deprivation and those studying in low-attaining schools are significantly less likely than others to be given the opportunity to take A levels in arts subjects, new figures confirm. The dramatic disparities in A level provision between schools with different... read more