Making a difference in cultural policy
The Cultural Policy Unit is a new, independent think tank dedicated to formulating bold, imaginative and practical policy ideas in…
Posts
Key dates for the arts sector in 2025
As 2025 gets into swing, the year ahead will bring a raft of events that will have significant implications for the arts and cultu…
Peers seek to tackle Royal Albert Hall ‘conflict of interest’
A group of peers is seeking to amend legislation to prevent trustees of the Royal Albert Hall profiting from selling tickets they…
LAMDA chair urges government action on drama schools ‘crisis’
Shaun Woodward, the outgoing chair of LAMDA (the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art), has urged the government to take actio…
A riposte from the margins
In response to Nick Hytner’s recent dismissal of the concerns of a new generation of artists as ‘ill-informed’, Chrissie Til…
Performing artists and precarity: The true impact of Covid
A new book examining what the pandemic meant for freelance performers has been published. Mimi Doulton thinks its an invaluable re…
Legislative theatre and the civil society covenant
Katy Rubin, director of The People Act, considers how to bring government and citizens together into creative collaboration for ef…
McCartney warns proposed AI laws risk ‘loss of creativity’
Sir Paul McCartney has warned that government proposals for new copyright laws could “rip off” artists. Speaking to the BBC, t…
Welsh government urged to introduce ‘preventative’ spending for culture
Welsh government budgets should include a “preventative” category of spending that recognises the value of culture in improving ph…
National Theatre calls for new funding schemes to transform performing arts
New funding initiatives, including a “once in a generation” capital scheme designed to attract philanthropic support, are need…
Culture and civil society
The government published its Civil Society Covenant Framework last autumn. Jason Jones-Hall of the cultural placemaking organisati…
RSC boss among Visitor Economy Advisory Council
The CEO of the Royal Shakespeare Company, ANDREW LEVESON, has been named as a member of a new Visitor Economy Advisory Council unv…
Bryant: Government ready to make concert ticket levy mandatory if necessary
Arts minister Chris Bryant has said a proposed ticket levy on arena and stadium-sized concerts to support grassroots music venues…
Starmer names new V&A chair after relaunching selection process
Prime Minister KEIR STARMER has announced Baroness MINOUCHE SHAFIK will be the new chair of the V&A, succeeding Sir NICHOLAS C…
Sadiq Khan faces probe over free Taylor Swift tickets
The Greater London Authority (GLA) has confirmed it will investigate the Mayor of London for accepting six free tickets to a Taylo…
DCMS backs £5m writing centre in Newcastle
A Newcastle-based creative centre for writing and publishing will receive £5m funding from the Department for Culture Media and S…
Government ‘should consider French philanthropy model’ to boost arts funding
Adopting French-style tax incentives to encourage corporate philanthropy should be considered as part of efforts to secure the fut…
What might a Trump presidency mean for the UK’s creative industries?
As the UK’s creative industries are an increasingly international part of the UK economy, Bernard Hay of the Creative Policy and…
Nandy announces £60m funding boost for creative industries
Government funding of £60m has been announced as part of a package of measures to boost the creative industries. The money, annou…
Labour doing ‘more harm than good’ for arts, claims Hytner
The former artistic director of the National Theatre has warned that performing and visual arts are entering “the most difficult y…
Major rights holders seek assurances over AI drive
A coalition of arts sector bodies and creative rights holders is calling for assurances from the government after it set out its p…
Grassroots music levy: Trust to distribute funds launches
A new trust to distribute funds from a proposed levy on concerts staged in stadiums and arenas to the grassroots music sector has…
Government to appoint leading cultural figures to Soft Power Council
Two prominent cultural sector leaders are set to be appointed to a new body that will advise the government on how to use its ‘s…
DCMS to amend gender policies after settling discrimination claim
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has said it will amend its policies on gender after settling a claim brought by…
