Call for urgent review of arts funding

The list of theatres that have lost funding in recent times reads like a who's who of powerhouse British stages: Oldham Coliseum, Hampstead, the Donmar, the Gate, Birmingham Rep, Bristol Old Vic, English National Opera, the Vault Festival and more. While the loss of funding is a real challenge, they are, for the most part, working hard to continue to develop other income streams to be able to thrive into the future.

Theatres are falling like skittles

All this has happened so suddenly, I fear we haven't yet realised the full consequences.

I went to drama school in Manchester a decade ago, in happier times. I spent many an educational evening at Oldham Coliseum watching fantastic actors perform on a global-level stage – a chance that will be denied to today's students. 

The Vault Festival was an invaluable stepping stone for those hopeful of taking a show to Edinburgh and a genuine alternative for those unable to afford the trip to Scotland. Where can those artists now trial their show? The net is drawing ever tighter with fewer opportunities, creating more competition to the advantage of those with connections and wealth.  

UK spends less than half the European average on the arts

In February this year, a BECTU survey found 88% of members were concerned about their financial security, with 40% of women respondents and 50% of Black respondents planning to leave the industry. 

Despite the government's oft-repeated rhetoric that the UK is a global leader in the arts, just 0.4% of UK government expenditure goes towards the arts – less than half the European average of 1%. 

When I bemoan the dire state of arts funding in this country, I am often met with a derisive laugh and a question about where on earth I imagine extra money is to come from. Well, research by Equity has found that for every £1 invested in the arts, £4 is generated for the local economy by spending on hospitality, hotels and taxis. 

The arts are London's third biggest income generator after banking and retail. It is a myth that money invested in the arts is money thrown out the window. I just don’t accept the government's argument that there is no money.

It's a political choice

The UK has now endured 18 months of strikes and, in almost all cases, the negotiating unions have won more than was originally offered. The average win across public sector unions has been a pay increase of between 4%-6% increase while the Felixstowe dock workers managed a 15% pay increase. 

The mere threat of a tube strike in January 2024 was enough for Sadiq Khan to suddenly find an extra £30m down the back of his sofa to pay underground workers, whereupon the RMT-led strike was promptly called off.   

What this shows, is that the money is there; it is a political choice how it is spent, and collective action does work.

The TUC is calling for an urgent review of arts spending in the UK, and we demand arts funding be increased to match the European average. It is the least we all deserve.  

Ayvianna Snow is Secretary of the TUC's Creative and Leisure Industries Committee and Chair of Equity's London North branch.
@ayviannasnow