
Caroline Dinenage, Margaret Hodge and Sue Bruce are among those leading key reviews and inquiries that will impact the culture sector this year
Key dates for the arts sector in 2025
As well as new taxes and a multi-year government spending review, this year will see the application process for Arts Council England’s next National Portfolio open.
As 2025 gets into swing, the year ahead will bring a raft of events that will have significant implications for the arts and culture sector. Here, we take a look at the most important dates coming up.
Early 2025: Initial findings of school curriculum review
An interim report from the Curriculum and Assessment Review, being led by Professor Becky Francis, is due to be produced early this year outlining key themes and initial recommendations.
A final report is expected to be published in autumn. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has previously said the curriculum will be amended “so art is woven into everything our children learn”.
Late February 2025: Consultation on copyright and AI closes
A government consultation on copyright and artificial intelligence (AI) will close on 25 February. Under proposed changes to the law, creators would be able to opt out from developers using their copyrighted works to train AI.
March: Details of NPO programme for 2027 onwards
Arts Council England (ACE) is due to “launch” its National Portfolio programme for 2027 onwards from this spring. In March, the funder will share information about its aims for the programme, followed by detailed applicant guidance – including the duration of the portfolio – in April.
The window for applications will be between 2 June and 31 July, with decisions due to be announced in March 2026. Negotiations on the funding agreements will take place from April that year, with the new portfolio beginning in April 2027.
April: Increase in National Living Wage and National Insurance
From 6 April, the start of the new financial year, many arts organisations will face higher staffing costs, with the National Living Wage rising from £11.44 to £12.21 an hour alongside an increase in employers’ National Insurance (NI) contributions. Employers will pay NI at a rate of 15% on salaries above £5,000, compared with the current rate of 13.8% on salaries above £9,100.
The director of a community theatre in Norfolk told the BBC the “double-whammy” of changes would cost an extra £25,000 a year. But an increased employer allowance from £5,000 to £10,500 means some smaller organisations will see a net positive effect.
By spring: English Devolution Bill introduced
The English Devolution Bill will be introduced in the first session of this parliament, which runs to spring 2025.
According to a White Paper on the subject issued last December, the government wants to create “universal coverage” of strategic authorities across England – comparable to current combined authorities, which bring together several councils.
Intended to be led by mayors, these bodies will have powers over strategic planning, housing, transport and skills. They will also be “key partners in boosting culture, heritage and the visitor economy, supported by close integration with arm’s length bodies like Historic England”.
The White Paper promises “more investment in local areas”, through approaches including “collaborative partnerships with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s (DCMS) arm’s length bodies”.
These bodies will be expected to partner with strategic authorities to help deliver local growth plans. Together with DCMS, they will also “explore the potential for deeper, collaborative partnerships with strategic authorities to share expertise”, opening up opportunities for joint working and alignment.
The paper also suggests that regional partnerships between mayors could “coordinate major cultural and sporting activities”.
By spring: Creative Industries Sector Plan
Currently being developed by government in partnership with the Creative Industries Taskforce, led by the Creative Industries Council’s current and incoming co-chairs, Sir Peter Bazalgette and Baroness Shriti Vadera, the Creative Industries Sector Plan is due for publication in the spring.
May: Decisions on NPOs’ one-year extension
ACE is extending its 2023-2026 National Portfolio programme by a year to March 2027. All National Portfolio Organisations (NPOs) and Investment Principles Support Organisations were invited to apply for the extension through a “simple, non-competitive” process.
ACE is due to let applicants know its decisions by the end of May. In January last year, ACE chief executive Darren Henley wrote that the extension was “to help create some thinking time – for us and our sector”.
June (expected): Budget and multi-year spending review
With funding continuing to be a pressing issue, the sector will be keeping a keen eye on announcements in the multi-year spending review later in the year, which is expected to set departmental revenue budgets until 2029.
The government has not yet set a specific date for the review, saying that its second phase – after the overall spending ‘envelope’ was set out in last year’s Autumn Budget – will be in “late spring”. In November, officials and ministers told the Financial Times the review had been pushed back to June.
Summer: Recommendations from review of Creative Scotland
Last month the Scottish Culture Secretary Angus Robertson confirmed that the former local government chief executive Dame Sue Bruce will chair the review, with its recommendations expected to be published in the summer.
At the same time, the Scottish government said “further details on the review process, including the terms of reference, will be set out to parliament soon”.
The devolved government has also launched a survey “seeking views on how culture and the arts are currently supported in Scotland and areas for change”. Responses to this will help inform the scope of the review.
September: Culture Recovery Fund Covid loan repayments
All solvent borrowers from Department for Culture Media and Sports COVID-era culture loans scheme are scheduled to make a first repayment by September 2025.
DCMS lent £474m in repayable finance to 120 borrowers in the sports and culture sectors between October 2020 and March 2022 in the shape of Covid recovery loans.
A total of £256m went to 37 culture bodies through the repayable finance strand of the Culture Recovery Fund, with all culture loans being over £1m.
The loans were issued on an average term of 15 years, with three running up to 25 years, and almost all were charged at 2% simple interest for the whole loan period. Some agreements include loan repayment holidays of an average of three years.
Autumn: Culture Select Committee report on protecting built heritage
The Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee’s inquiry on protecting built heritage accepted written evidence until 3 February. The committee expects to hold several evidence sessions in spring and early summer, and report in the autumn.
Until 21 February, the committee’s State of Play inquiry is inviting people to submit ideas for previously-overlooked topics it should explore through one-off sessions. This inquiry will reopen later in the year for further submissions.
Across 2025: Margaret Hodge review of Arts Council England
A review of Arts Council England (ACE), led by the former Culture Minister Margaret Hodge, is due to launch this year. The government says the terms of reference will be published “in due course”.
The main priorities it has identified include exploring how ACE engages with partners and stakeholders, considering the body’s role in the wider cultural funding ecosystem, and assessing its mandate “to ensure it is clear and appropriate for the 21st century”.
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