The Scottish Government has revealed its draft Budget for 2024-5 in a statement by the Deputy First Minister Shona Robison.
It returns the £6.6m cut from Creative Scotland this year, and recommits this funding for next year. But after inflation, the culture budget will be 6% smaller than in 2022-3.
Jack Gamble, director of the Campaign for the Arts, said:
“It’s a relief that the Scottish Government has restored its £6.6m cut to Creative Scotland, and recommitted this funding for next year, after months of campaigning involving 25,000 Campaign for the Arts supporters.
But despite the First Minister’s recent pledge to ‘more than double’ investment in culture, next year’s overall culture budget will be 6% smaller than in 2022-23 in real terms.1 Once the cuts to Creative Scotland have been remedied, there is only £2.6m of new cultural investment.
The Deputy First Minister called this “the first step on the route to investing at least £100 million more in arts and culture by 2028-29″, but £2.6m of new investment is a very small first step, given the very big threats to arts access in Scotland. Amid a perfect storm of challenges for artists and organisations, the Scottish Government needs to go much further, much faster.”
Notes for Editors
The Scottish Government announced "an increase of £15.8 million" for culture in the Scottish Budget.
- £6.6m is the Creative Scotland funding that was cut this year.
- £6.6m is the continuation of that funding next year.
- £2.6m is new funding.
The Campaign for the Arts has been campaigning in support of Scotland's arts and culture sector throughout 2023. Click here to find out more.
