Culture sector ‘abandoned’ by Government, claims Labour

The culture sector has been “abandoned” amid rising costs and tight funding for key organisations, Scottish Labour have said.

In the latest budget, funding for “Creative Scotland and other arts” went from £69.3 million in the current year to £64.2 million next year.

The board of Creative Scotland have already said they are “extremely disappointed” in the settlement, which they say reduces their funding by 10%.

In October, Holyrood’s Culture Committee warned there is a “crisis” in the sector which needed to be addressed urgently.

Scottish Labour’s culture spokeswoman Sarah Boyack said museums and galleries are still dealing with the aftermath of the pandemic.

She said: “While Angus Robertson racks up air miles talking about Scotland’s fantastic culture sector abroad, businesses at home are facing a perfect storm.

“Soaring bills and the lasting devastation of the pandemic have left museums, art galleries and cinemas struggling to keep the doors open and the lights on.

“The SNP have abandoned the industry in their hour of need – and now jobs, businesses, and Scotland’s iconic arts sector are at risk of being wiped out.

“We need a plan to secure the future of the sector and we need the Culture Secretary to start doing the work to deliver it.”

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: “This is an incredibly worrying time for cultural venues, creative businesses, events and creative freelancers who are all facing financial challenges.

“The significant rise in energy costs, alongside a decrease in audiences’ disposable income, is significantly hampering the ability of the culture and events sectors to recover following the Covid-19 pandemic.

“As the creative industries are largely made up of micro and small enterprises, this increases the pressures they face.

“The Scottish Government has convened roundtables with the culture sector to explore how organisations can best work together to develop shared solutions, and further events are planned early in the New Year.”