Thursday, 23 September 2021
Fifty-four priority areas for investment have high rates of deprivation and low cultural engagement, but some of the lowest funded regions have missed out.
Just three out of 54 "priority places" for cultural investment rank in the lowest decile for arts funding.
Arts Council England (ACE) announced the regions and boroughs that will get preferential treatment as part of a three-year delivery plan for its strategy, Let's Create.
Places were weighted based on their past funding, indexes of deprivation and levels of cultural engagement to determine... read more
Thursday, 23 September 2021
The quiet suspension of the election pledge is "sadly another example of the disregard shown by the Department for Education towards creative subjects".
Photo:
World Bank Photo Collection
A £270m arts premium for secondary schools appears to have been shelved due to Covid-19 pressures.
Schools stood to receive up to £25,000 each per year starting this month but the policy - a Conservative Party election pledge - has been put on hold.
Outgoing Schools Minister Nick Gibb said future... read more
Wednesday, 22 September 2021
The funder has been cleared of indirect discrimination but its lawyer admits "there was perhaps a lack of a full understanding" about its own recruitment policy.
Photo:
Google Maps
Arts Council England may not have understood its own recruitment policies when it rejected a disabled job applicant, a tribunal has heard.
The funding body was on Monday (September 20) cleared of indirect discrimination against Kevin Taylor, a career arts fundraiser who applied for a job there last... read more
Wednesday, 22 September 2021
The Government has responded to a critical inquiry on streaming with a 12-month schedule of research and working groups to challenge industry practices.
Major music labels face an investigation over their dominance of the streaming marketplace.
The Government has asked the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to consider whether Sony, Warner and Universal Music are stifling innovation.
The referral comes in response to a wide-ranging inquiry... read more
Tuesday, 21 September 2021
AHRC’s investment will support artificially intelligent programmes to create unified virtual collections of the UK’s museums, archives, libraries, and galleries.
Photo:
Matteo Vistocco
Five new projects worth £14.5m will consolidate the UK’s heritage assets digitally and uncover new, diverse histories.
The Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) is investing in the research and development of artificial intelligence (AI) to connect the UK’s cultural artefacts and historical... read more
Friday, 17 September 2021
The tax increase will be a "double whammy" for some self employed creatives, as income support dries up in October.
Photo:
British High Commission
The increase to National Insurance will be "deeply damaging" to some self employed creatives, experts say.
With the Self Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) winding down this month, a hike from 9% to 10.5% for freelancers earning between £9,569 and £50,270 will cost up to £58 more per month.... read more
Thursday, 16 September 2021
In yet another U-turn, vaccine passports will become England's 'Plan B'. What can venues expect this winter?
Vaccine passports will be kept "in reserve" in case of worsening Covid-19 rates, the Prime Minister has announced.
Boris Johnson, outlining the Covid-19 Winter Plan for 2021 on Tuesday (September 14), said the Government won't proceed with plans to introduce mandatory certification for higher risk... read more
Thursday, 16 September 2021
The new Culture Secretary's pro-Brexit stance and history of controversy have the left-leaning arts sector worried.
Nadine Dorries has been appointed Culture Secretary, sparking concern and confusion.
The best-selling author of badly-reviewed novels and shortlived I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here contestant becomes the tenth person in a decade to hold the role, replacing incumbent cabinet office minister... read more
Wednesday, 15 September 2021
New research indicates cultural engagement improves wellbeing in England’s poorest areas the most, but unequal access remains a barrier to participation.
Photo:
Tetiana Shevereva
England’s poorest areas appear to benefit the most from cultural engagement.
Although the positive correlation between cultural engagement and improved mental health is well established, a new study by University College London (UCL) professors Daisy Fancourt, Karen Mak and Rory Coulter is one of... read more
Tuesday, 14 September 2021
The sector and its funders must adopt measurable diversity targets or risk losing "an entire generation of talent".
Photo:
Max McClure
Arts funding should be tied to "strict compliance" with employment law to improve diversity in the sector, MPs say.
Setting measureable annual diversity targets, ending unpaid internships, and making all jobs flexible, work from home and part time by default would also help develop a more... read more
Friday, 10 September 2021
Any reintroduction of social distancing won't be covered under the Government's £750m scheme, which comes with hefty premiums.
Photo:
Sam Warrenger
The Government's £750m insurance scheme for events won't cover cancellations caused by a return of capacity limits.
Costs incurred due to non-appearance of acts - a distinct possibility if they test positive for Covid-19 - are also ineligible.
Industry leaders welcomed long-awaited details of the... read more
Thursday, 09 September 2021
The digital pivot might have altered online attendance slighty but for most of the UK, "the new normal of pandemic life was very much like the old normal".
Photo:
Alan Levine
The digital pivot prompted by the pandemic has not increased cultural consumption.
Against optimistic predictions the sector would reach new audiences online, research from the Centre for Cultural Value says most of the UK "saw no change to their patterns of engagement".
Where there were increases... read more
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