The report warns that the reduction in funding has led to a significant decline in the number of students enrolling in arts education and a broader ‘marginalisation’ of the arts in state-funded schools.
The UK arts sector is in a state of crisis, receiving some of the lowest levels of government funding in Europe. This was the finding of new research carried out by the University of Warwick and the Campaign for the Arts.
The “State of the Arts” report highlights significant cuts in state funding for the arts in Britain between 2009 and 2023. The Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) reduced core funding by 18 percent. From 2010 to 2022, England’s cultural spending per person decreased by 6 percent, while France, Finland, and Germany saw increases of 25 percent, 70 percent, and 22 percent, respectively, over the same period. The report reveals that Britain’s cultural spending per person was 44 percent lower than the European average.
Among 25 European countries analysed in the report, the UK ranked near the bottom in cultural spending, both as a percentage of GDP and per person. Only Greece, Italy, and Portugal spent a smaller share of their GDP on culture.
The report warns that the reduction in funding has led to a significant decline in the number of students enrolling in arts education and a broader ‘marginalisation’ of the arts in state-funded schools. It notes that GCSE and A-level grades in arts subjects have fallen by 47 percent and 29 percent respectively, since 2010, which the authors describe as a “crisis.”
Funding from the Arts Council, the UK’s primary arts organisation, has decreased by 8 percent in England, 22 percent in Scotland, 25 percent in Wales, and 66 percent in Northern Ireland.
A separate report by Arts Council England on private investment in the arts found that private funding accounted for £799 million in the sector, with 44 percent coming from individual donations.
Jack Gamble, director of the Campaign for the Arts and co-author of the report, described the sector as “running on empty.” He emphasised the importance of the arts to everyone yet noted that the UK arts sector is severely underfunded.
Heidi Ashton, associate professor in cultural and creative ecologies at the University of Warwick and co-author of the report, expressed her dismay at the findings. Speaking to The Stage, Ashton said: “What’s shocking is to see all the data in one place […] The government has devalued the arts. That’s very different overseas.”
Ashton added that European countries seem to understand the importance of the arts for a “strong, thriving” society better than Britain. She suggested that in the UK, value is placed only on things that can demonstrate a return or profit.
Despite the grim findings, Ashton expressed optimism about the new Labour government’s integrated approach to policymaking, which includes collaboration between the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Department for Education on issues such as curriculum reform. She believes this could lead to more cohesive policies that ensure no one is left behind.
“We can work towards common goals so that people aren’t left behind in the policy frameworks,” Ashton said.
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