What happens next?

With 25% cuts in departmental budgets having already been announced, and the government warning that public sector funding for some activities will fall by as much as 40%, only those blessed with irrepressible optimism believe that the arts sector will be unaffected by politicians’ determination to reduce the public debt and rethink how government spends our money. Subsequently, all government departments have been asked to prioritise their spending against the same one-size-fits-all criteria and come up with plans to implement their target cuts. The DCMS is currently assessing its main programmes against this checklist “to ensure value for money in public spending”. How well will the arts sector measure up?

Treasury questions
1. Does the Government need to fund this activity?
Difficult to prove, given the scale of the commercial, amateur and other not-for-profit work that manages to thrive without government support.

2. Does the activity provide substantial economic value?
Some, like Welsh National Opera (AP221), may be able to produce supporting evidence – but most can’t.

3. Can the activity be targeted to those most in need?
It’s a challenge, and few can demonstrate clear success – see ‘Evaluate and Evolve’, p6.

4. How can the activity be provided at lower cost?
The arguments for cutting non-front-line services in the NHS can equally be applied to the arts – Wales has already announced an end to funding for arts support agencies (AP221).

5. How can the activity be provided more effectively?
Ask Shakespeare’s Globe and Chicken Shed theatre about the benefits of running subsidy-free: both are successfully delivering performance work and community programmes, neither receiving regular subsidy.

6. Can the activity be provided by a non-state provider or by citizens, wholly, or in partnership?
Like the first question, this could be difficult to prove.

7. Can non-state providers be paid to carry out the activity according to the results they achieve?
Some would argue yes, though defining ‘results’ could be problematic.

8. Can local bodies, as opposed to central Government, provide the activity?
Look beyond the UK and you will find that national arts councils funded by central Governments are by no means a universal model for arts funding infrastructure.