The Campaign for the Arts has today delivered a major petition to the UK Government, signed by over 37,000 citizens from every one of the UK’s 650 parliamentary constituencies, urging the Chancellor to protect public investment in the arts and culture as part of her Spending Review.
The Spending Review concludes next Wednesday 11 June, and will set central government budgets for day-to-day spending until 2028-29 and capital spending until 2029-30. The petition calls on the Chancellor to sustain funding for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), schools and local councils across that period.
The petition’s reach highlights widespread public concern about the future of the UK’s creative and cultural life and strong support for sustained government backing. It warns that any further cuts to culture would be a “false economy”, jeopardising the contributions of artists and cultural organisations and ultimately undermining the Government’s promise of a “decade of national renewal”.
Jack Gamble, Director of the Campaign for the Arts, said:
“Every MP in the House of Commons has a constituent who has signed this petition: it’s a powerful reminder that people in every part of the UK value the arts and want to see them properly supported. This Government was elected on the promise of a ‘decade of national renewal’, but that just won’t happen without artists and cultural organisations in the picture. They enrich our lives, bring communities together and strengthen the economy too. Now is the time to invest in them.”
The Campaign for the Arts has reported that the UK currently has one of the lowest levels of government spending on culture among European nations1, and that the DCMS budget has already shrunk by 6% this year.2 At the same time, research repeatedly reinforces the outsized positive impacts of the arts and culture. The cultural sector currently generates £35 billion a year for the UK economy.3 For every £1 of public funding received by Arts Council England’s ‘National Portfolio Organisations’ in 2023, there was a direct return of £3.12 in Gross Value Added (GVA).4
Cultural engagement by citizens also delivers wide-ranging economic, social and health benefits beyond this. A recent report by Frontier Economics for the DCMS estimated the direct value of the improvement in UK adults’ general health from engaging with culture and heritage at £8bn a year through increased productivity at work and alleviated pressures on healthcare services.5 Another report by the Cebr for Arts Council England highlighted indirect ‘spillover’ benefits across a range of policy areas including investment, innovation, employment, exports, skills, public health and regional regeneration.4
The Campaign for the Arts’ petition, which remains live, is part of the charity’s broader efforts to champion, defend and expand access to the arts and culture, for and with the UK public.
- The State of the Arts report[↩]
- CFTA launches urgent petition after new analysis reveals further 6% cut to culture department this year[↩]
- DCMS Economic Estimates: Annual GVA 2023 (provisional)[↩]
- Spillover impacts in the publicly funded arts and culture sector[↩][↩]
- Engagement in culture and heritage creates £8BN in value per year for the UK[↩]
