The Scottish Government has taken the decision to reimpose a £6.6m budget cut on Creative Scotland, the public body supporting creative industries throughout Scotland.
The 10 per cent cut, first announced in December 2022 was reversed after a successful emergency campaign by the Campaign for the Arts, a UK-wide arts advocacy group.
The Scottish Government’s recent Autumn Budget Revision revealed yet another reversal, removing £6.6m from Creative Scotland’s budget.
Creative Scotland issued a press release, stating they are “extremely disappointed” by the decision and plan to mitigate effects on the creative sector by using funds from National Lottery reserves.
They warn this is a short-term solution.
The press release continues: “The budget for 2024/25 will not be decided by the Scottish Government for some months yet but should the Scottish Government choose to sustain this reduction, we will require to pass it on to the sector”.
The budget cut could have widespread impacts throughout the creative sector after reserves run out.
Many organisations within Edinburgh would be impacted, including art galleries, theatres, and music groups.
Katie Marsden, the undergraduate representative for the College of Art, says these cuts could also greatly impact students:
“It is not just Art/Design students that will feel the impacts of this.
“Many extracurricular activities and societies, related to Film and Theatre for instance, have been placed at risk by these cuts, and this impacts student wellbeing and social activities.”
Marsden also highlighted impacts these cuts could have for arts students’ post-grad career options:
“On a personal note, as a Graphic Design student considering my career options, these cuts could disproportionately affect smaller agencies that take on projects related to community and culture work.”
In response to the budget cut, the Campaign for the Arts has launched another campaign, aiming to reinstate Creative Scotland’s funding.
The campaign petition states: “This ‘U-turn on a U-turn’ puts treasured venues and companies, thousands of jobs and access to Scottish culture at risk.”
Lori Anderson, director of the Scottish arts and culture organisation Culture Counts, suggests the budget cut speaks to the undervaluation of the arts in Scotland.
Anderson said: “It shows a disconnect between what’s being said by us and what is being heard, and it ultimately shows that the value of the sector is really not understood.”
Image: “‘Reclining Figure’ (1951) by Henry Moore, Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Edinburgh, Scotland” by Spencer Means is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.