In the current UK election campaign, the major political parties have taken distinct positions on arts funding and related cultural policies. I note these parties first as there is a degree of concensus that given arts funding is a devolved matter, that local parties are may well have to accept more general decisions surrounding funding and see what happens with NI's block grant, the allocation of which is a devoled to Stormont - although judging on Monday's so-called "Mini-Budget" , there isn't very much love being shown for the arts in financial terms - squat actually.
So a quick look at the runners and riders is always worth a look...
Conservative Party
The Conservatives highlight their past support, such as the £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund, provided during the pandemic. Future commitments include ensuring competitive creative sector tax incentives, launching a review of the night time economy, and extending the Community Ownership Fund to support community music venues.
Labour Party
Labour emphasises making the arts accessible to all and plans to integrate arts into their broader Industrial Strategy. Their commitments include supporting schoolchildren to study creative subjects, creating a National Music Education Network, and improving conditions for creative sector workers by banning exploitative zero-hours contracts and enhancing employment rights.
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats propose using National Lottery funding for the arts, establishing creative enterprise zones, and seeking to rejoin the EU’s Creative Europe program. They also focus on maintaining free access to national museums and galleries and support the role of arts in health and wellbeing. Additionally, they advocate for modernising employment rights for freelancers and ensuring the independence of arts funding.
Green Party
The Greens pledge £5 billion in arts and culture funding over five years, propose VAT exemption for cultural event tickets, and emphasise protecting artists' intellectual property against AI threats. They also advocate for Universal Basic Income to support artistic potential
Plaid Cymru
Plaid Cymru opposes cuts to Welsh cultural organisations and calls for increased funding from Westminster. They advocate free entry to national museums, support for Welsh-language arts, and the return of Welsh cultural artefacts. They also plan to establish a Welsh Freelancers Fund and support re-developing the participation in Creative Europe
Scottish National Party (SNP)
The SNP focuses on boosting the creative industries' economic potential and supporting cultural sector cooperation. Specific details are lighter compared to other parties, but they share some pledges similar to the Liberal Democrats regarding Creative Europe.
Reform UK
Reform UK lacks detailed arts funding policies and generally focuses on reducing government spending. They propose cutting "wasteful" expenditure by £50 billion annually, which raises concerns about potential cuts to cultural investment. They also plan to scrap the BBC’s funding model without providing a replacement.
When we look closer to home, as my colleague Gordon Hewitt has already pointed out, these positions shift somewhat to reflect a range of local approaches, from increasing direct funding and educational support to emphasising tax incentives and sectoral reviews.
In the current election campaign, Northern Ireland's political parties have articulated various positions on arts funding, reflecting their broader policy priorities.
Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin has emphasised the need to end underfunding through enhanced fiscal powers and multi-annual budgeting to protect and expand public services. While their focus is broader, they acknowledge the importance of cultural sectors and aim to ensure sustainable funding for public services, which includes the arts
Democratic Unionist Party (DUP)
The DUP calls for increased funding through revisions to the Barnett formula, advocating for a needs-based uplift to secure more resources for Northern Ireland. They recognize the value of arts and culture but have not specified detailed policies on arts funding in their current manifesto.
Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP)
The SDLP supports a comprehensive spending review to deliver a multi-year, costed public service recovery plan. This includes addressing the funding needs of cultural institutions as part of their commitment to enhancing public services and supporting anti-poverty strategies.
Alliance Party
The Alliance Party emphasises fair funding for Northern Ireland, advocating for a fiscal floor and supporting a UK-wide retrofitting program to reduce emissions and combat fuel poverty. They also back welfare reforms aimed at reducing punitive measures, which could indirectly benefit the arts by ensuring more stable funding for public services.
Ulster Unionist Party (UUP)
The UUP's manifesto focuses on collaborative policymaking to tackle rising property prices and rental costs, aiming for an 82% reduction in greenhouse gases by 2050. While their emphasis is on housing and environmental sustainability, they recognize the role of cultural investment in community well-being and economic development
So, these are the baseline positions that reflect the varied and various approaches of Northern Ireland's political parties towards the thorny issue for all of us…arts funding. There is of course a common underlying theme coming from all the major parties, of seeking greater fiscal autonomy for Northern Ireland and more equitable funding arrangements from Westminster to support public services, including the arts.
Of course, we would never dream of advocating for any particular political outlook or indeed party, but we are always keen to see where future support for the arts may come from. Best of luck to all electors on Thursday!
Sources:
https://about.policymogul.com/blog/election-hub-compare-uk-party-manifestos-on-any-issue/
https://www.cih.org/blogs/general-election-2024-political-party-manifestos-in-northern-ireland
https://www.ism.org/news/general-election-24-manifestos/
https://www.campaignforthearts.org/general-election-2024-what-are-the-parties-pledging-for-the-arts/
https://www.rcslt.org/news/northern-ireland-election-manifesto-roundup/
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