Commitment to the arm’s length principle, a new taxation scheme to release more money from the National Lottery and a higher level of political recognition for donors to the arts are among the policies put forward by the Liberal Democrat party in its manifesto, ‘The Power of Creativity’. The party pledges to “raise the status of the arts across national government” for their intrinsic and instrumental value, and their use in tourism and diplomacy. The paper declares that “it is a primary function of government to support the development of arts and culture”, but says that, if elected, a Lib Dem Government would “move away from restrictive and meaningless targets” and reduce box-ticking. One major proposal is to change the way the National Lottery is taxed, which the Lib Dems claim “could generate as much as £270m extra funding for good causes” and a further £120m for the Treasury over ten years. A review of Arts Council England’s funding practice would aim to “improve the distribution of funding and the reach of the arts in the regions and cities outside London” and grant “national status” for more regional organisations. The party would also establish a ‘Creative Enterprise Fund’ offering small grants or loans to creative industry start-ups.
