DCMS targets missed

None of the Government’s targets for public participation in arts activity between 2005/6 and 2007/8 have been met, and the proportion of the population actively involved in arts has actually fallen, from 24.1% to 22.6% during this period, according to the latest DCMS report. Based on figures collected through the ‘Taking Part’ survey, which since 2005 has been gathering data about public take-up of culture, leisure and sport opportunities, the new report gives a final assessment of progress made against Public Service Agreement target 3 (PSA3). This target was set as part of the 2004 Government Spending Round, when DCMS bodies, including Arts Council England (ACE), were charged with increasing the number of people who go to a museum or gallery each year by 2%, increasing the number who participate in at least two different types of arts activities each year by 2% and increasing the number who attend at least two different arts events each year by 3%. Only among the Black and minority ethnic population were some cultural targets met, with both museum and gallery attendance and arts attendance rising for this group. A parallel picture has emerged for sports participation: the number of adults who participate in an active sport once a month or more fell marginally from 53.7% to 53.6%, but involvement of women and disabled people fell significantly. Commenting on the report’s findings, a DCMS spokesman said, “We always knew these would be challenging targets… Our programme of research is helping us to better understand the barriers to participation. The results should help us in giving more people the opportunity to take part.”

[[only among the Black and minority ethnic population were some targets met]]An ACE spokesperson told AP that “promoting diverse practice and engagement in the arts has been a priority for us and initiatives such as decibel and our race equality scheme are making a real difference”. However, ACE concedes that it can’t “afford to be complacent” and admitted that it could “have a greater impact, for example, with people with a disability and those in lower socio-economic groups”. ACE is planning “a major public-facing engagement campaign” in the coming year.
The release of the final figures against the PSA3 targets has coincided with the publication of new cultural targets for local government. In June last year, local authorities made Local Area Agreements (LAAs) with the Government to establish targets for improving public services in their areas. Over the next three years their progress will be assessed against a set of 35 National Indicators (NIs), which they can choose from a total set of 198. Two NIs relate specifically to cultural activity: NI 10, visits to museums and galleries, and NI 11, engagement in the arts, and more than 25% of local councils have chosen NI 11 as part of their LAAs. Engagement in the arts is being defined by measuring the percentage of adults who have either attended an arts event or participated in an arts activity at least three times in the past 12 months. Between April and October last year, interviews were conducted in 149 single tier and county council local authority areas in England, in order to set a baseline for cultural engagement against which future levels can be measured. The lowest levels of engagement with the arts were found in the London Borough of Newham where 28.9% of people were identified as engaged in the arts. This contrasts with the London Borough of Camden, where 67.1% are involved in the arts. The national average stands at 45.2%.