2015 General Election Statement
General Election Coverage
Did you miss the arts funding discussions in the General Election Campaign?
So did we!
Seems this has been the big non-event in the “short campaign”
The only thing we have noticed was the editorial in the Guardian on 30 April/ 1 May , and a couple of letters in Guardian on 6th May commenting on that editorial. Not a huge amount of mention, then!
Yet everyone says how important the arts are.
Well, though we think actions speak louder than words, even a few words would have been nice.
Do tell us if there has been coverage that we have missed
Meanwhile, our own attempt to get the prospective Sheffield MPs to comment on our statement has not met with as much success as we would have liked: to date, only 4 of the 45 candidates standing in Sheffield have responded. Four are posted below, and we think are well worth a look.
We will also post any we subsequently receive.
The SVAG General Election Statement is downloadable as a pdf from the left side of this page.
“The General Election is an ideal time to be raising with our politicians issues over funding of the arts. Sheffield VIsual Arts Group has expressed its concerns in a brief statement, below. Please forward to your local candidates, and raise the issues if you attend meetings that they will be addressing, or when their supporters knock on your door. Thanks”
A pdf version of this Statement can be downloaded from the left side of this page.
Sheffield Visual Arts Group: Statement for Candidates for General Election
The Sheffield Visual Arts Group was established in 2011, to promote Sheffield’s outstanding collection of paintings, drawings and sculpture; to improve access to these collections and to their expansion, and to encourage the development of long-term strategy for the arts relevant to all the citizens of the city region.
The Group calls on all the candidates in the coming general election in our city to make clear that they champion the arts in Sheffield, support the recommendations of the Select Committee on the Work of the Arts Council in England published in November 2014, and, if elected, will do everything in their power to improve the funding for the arts in Sheffield.
There has been chronic and historical underfunding of the arts in Sheffield, made more desperate as austerity measures bite deeply, coupled with the present unfair distribution of public funding between London and the English regions.
In October 2014 Alan Davey, Chief Executive of the Arts Council England (ACE), said, ‘No political party is yet promising more investment in culture – but we hope we can persuade them to do so. We need Sheffield MP candidates to join that campaign within their parties..
We ask specifically that Sheffield’s candidates :
affirm their belief in the value of the arts as contributing to the quality of everyday life, as well as a tool for providing wider policy goals, including regeneration, economic development, social inclusion, and health;
acknowledge the current serious reduction in public funding of the arts, whether from Department for Culture ,Media and Sport, ACE, local government or Arts Lottery and give an assurance that, given the scale of the reduction in grant in aid that the Arts Council England has absorbed (33% fall since 2010), they will seek to protect ACE’s future funding;
deplore the current erosion of local authority’s support for culture, caused by pressures from a reduced budget settlement from central government
support the rapid phasing-in of more equitable public funding from Arts Lottery funds on a per capita basis across the English regions, as suggested by the Select Committee so that the poorest communities benefit in proportion to their contribution, which is greater than that of more prosperous communities;
argue that monies should be more fairly distributed to the English regions in the event of any future increase in ACE monies
recognise the limitations of philanthropic giving and self help for the arts in a city like Sheffield, which cannot draw on the kind of wealth of more prosperous cities
commit themselves to arguing that the new government produce a clear overall arts policy, which emphasises to the local authority the advantages of an appropriate engagement with cultural policy and provision - including what new funding opportunities ought to be developed, and maintains the continuation of free access to public museums and galleries
Responses received
From Christine Gilligan Kubo
The Green Party believes public support for the arts is part of a civilised
society and we would Increase government arts funding by £500 million a year to restore the cuts made since 2010 and reinstate proper levels of funding for
local authorities, helping to keep local museums, theatres, libraries and art
galleries open.
• Reduce VAT to 5% for live performances.
• Work to support fair pay productions in the arts.
• Support initiatives to make the arts and sports accessible to all.
Best wishes
Christine Gilligan Kubo
Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for the Green Party, Sheffield Brightside
and Hillsborough
From Paul Blomfield MP
I will continue to be a champion for Sheffield arts in Parliament if I’m re-elected on May 7th. This speech I made in Parliament sets out my views on the issue, but I have addressed the points raised by Sheffield Visual Arts Group below:
The value of the arts
Labour leader Ed Miliband has said the arts will be at the heart of a Labour Government (see here). He has said that Labour will guarantee a universal entitlement to a creative education so that every young person has access to cultural activity and the arts by strengtheningcreative education in schools and after-school clubs. As I said in my speech in Parliament, the arts shape places and communities, they regenerate and energise, and invest in and develop future talent. They improve quality of life, health outcomes, economic development and social inclusion as you suggest. A thriving arts scene makes people want to visit Sheffield, or better still live here. I think as a society, and amongst policy makers, too often these benefits are underestimated, and the arts are seen as an optional extra for the good times. I do not agree. The arts can help create the good times – we must invest in the arts and see our communities thrive.
Funding
As SVAG suggests, funding for the arts comes from a variety of sources. One of the key areas of priority for a Labour Government would be the redistribution of local government funding. The Coalition Government changed the way the Government allocates money to local councils, causing the deepest cuts to fall in areas of highest need – creating particular problems for our large northern cities. For example, Sheffield Council is on track to have lost £230.60 of spending per household over this Parliament, whereas in the much more prosperous Surrey Heath, spending is actually set to rise by £3 per household. A Labour Government would change the local government funding formula, so that areas of higher need do not miss out as they are doing now – permitting our local council to invest in local talent, rather than having to choose between decent social care and the arts. For the time being (since we cannot do that unless a Labour Government is elected on May 7th), Harriet Harman, Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport has established a Creative Councillors’ Network to bring together, brainstorm and lend support to Labour councils and councillors to ensure that whilst facing the biggest cuts to local government in a generation they are able to continue to sustain the foundations for the arts in their area. In terms of Government funding from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, again there is a huge imbalance, this time between London and the rest. In 2012/13 London received £68.99 per head compared with just £4.58 in the rest of England. Again, Labour is absolutely committed to a fairer distribution of arts funding.
Local authority funding cuts
Most of my answer to the previous question articulates my views on the decimation of local authority funding we’ve seen under the Coalition but I am optimistic that Labour’s redistribution of local authority funding will see us moving back in the right direction on this.
Per capita funding
Labour will consult on how best to redistribute arts funding, but it will be certainly done so that those from less affluent areas have as much opportunity as those from affluent areas to have their talent nourished.
Money more fairly distributed to the English regions
Again, this absolutely reflects Labour’s commitment to rebalance our economy. A Labour Government will devolve £30 billion of funding over five years to local regions - including funding for housing, transport, business support, employment and adult skills. Read more here.
Recognise the limits of philanthropic giving
When the argument is made that we should be looking more actively for private sponsorship, it is rarely conceded that as far as private giving is concerned too the picture is heavily weighted against the regions. Often, private sponsorship exacerbates the problem, rather than solving it. There are generous people, but there are no major corporate sponsors in Sheffield. As your members will know, there is no private giving on any significant scale. The London cultural organisations are hoovering it all up. In 2011/12, for example, 90% of all private giving to the arts by individual philanthropists was to London based organisations. We need the Government and the Arts Council to redress this balance. Central Arts funding whether from DCMS direct or Arts Council should irrigate the arts throughout the country, not drain everything towards London.
Arts policy and free access to public museums and galleries
Labour will create a Prime Minister’s Committee on the Arts, Culture and Creative Industries, with a membership drawn from all sectors and regions. The Committee will bring issues of concern direct to the attention of the Prime Minister.
The last Labour Government made admission to our national museums and galleries free to all, leading to a major increase in the number of people experiencing our greatest cultural treasures. In our manifesto for this election, we reaffirm our commitment to universal free admission to ensure that our great works of art and national heritage can be enjoyed in all parts of the country.
With best wishes,
Paul
Paul Blomfield
Labour Parliamentary Candidate for Sheffield Central Constituency
From Peter Garbutt
Thanks for your email.
I'm responding to reaffirm my total commitment to the arts and to more equitable arts funding for Sheffield. Without the arts, we begin to lose sight of what we were, what we are and what we can be.
A totally functional society is drab, grey and depressing, and thereby quickly becomes dysfunctional. We all need the beauty and thought-provoking inspiration art brings.
If I'm elected, I will make this a priority in parliament.
Best wishes,
Peter Garbutt
Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for the Green Party, Sheffield Hallam.
From Joe Otten
Thankyou for your email.
As a patron of the arts and occasional amateur actor, I would like to see arts funding restored. Realistically I don’t expect this to happen until the deficit has been eliminated, as our priority (and probably that of other parties too) is to protect health, education and international aid.
By not continuing austerity beyond the elimination of the deficit as the Conservatives intend, nor dragging austerity out for years leading to permanently higher debt levels and interest payments as Labour intend, our plans bring the earliest end to austerity in 2017/18, representing the best chance for the needs of the arts to be heard in the next parliament.
Best wishes,
Joe Otten
Joe Otten is standing in Sheffield Central as a Liberal Democrats candidate
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