Research Note
RN 00/89 31 October 2000
THE CULTURAL STRATEGY
The Scottish Parliament will debate the Cultural Strategy on 2nd November 2000. This note briefly outlines the main points in the strategy, and the preceding consultation. It also gives a brief overview of funding and recent Scottish Executive publications relevant to culture. Since the Culture Strategy was published Allan Wilson has replaced Rhona Brankin as the Deputy Minister for Sport and Culture.
MAIN POINTS IN THE CULTURE STRATEGY The Cultural Strategy was launched in August 2000 and outlines the main threads of development over the next four years. The strategy contains very large number of wide ranging key priorities, which are listed under four strategic objectives. Example actions are given below under the relevant strategy objective. Promoting creativity, the arts and other cultural activity. • Improve access to training and business skills in the cultural sector. • Explore the feasibility of a film studio
‘we are in discussion with Scottish Screen and Scottish Enterprise about the possibility of setting up a film studio that would be located in Glasgow. Glasgow is Scottish Screen's stated preferred site for a film studio because Scottish Enterprise is intending to cluster-develop a 1 creative digital industry at Pacific quay.’
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Rhona Brankin, Education, Culture and Sport Committee, 20th Sept Cole 1393 providing research and information services to the Scottish Parliament
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Feasibility Study on a National Theatre
‘We are not thinking in terms of a new building, but are considering some sort of commissioning body […] We have set a timescale for a feasibility study to conclude in May 2001. The possibilities after that depend on the outcome of the study and future spending 2 decisions.”
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Enhance Scotland’s Creative Industries3
On 24 August Henry McLeish the Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning announced a “£25 million strategy aims to develop Pacific Quay in Glasgow as a digital media centre, develop a Creative Industries Campus on Tayside and establish centres for Scottish creative industries in London and New York” The strategy is part of the Scottish Enterprise “clusters” th plan. The creative economy was debated in Parliament on 27 September 2000. Further information is available on the Creative Scotland website at www.creativescotland.com
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Celebrate Scotland’s cultural heritage in its full diversity • Establish an action group on supporting ethnic minority language and culture. • Support, where demand is sufficient, Gaelic pre-school and primary education. • Explore the feasibility of a centre for the languages of Scotland. • An audit of museums and galleries – starting with industrial museums. (This is expected to be complete by Autumn 2001) 4 • Review the statutory framework of museums and galleries • Promote international cultural exchange and Cultural Tourism
Cultural tourism is one niche market for developing tourism in Scotland. Deputy Minister for Culture, Rhona Brankin will chair a group to draw up proposals to develop cultural tourism. This 5 work will be completed before the end of the year.
Realising culture’s potential contribution to education, promoting inclusion and enhancing people’s quality of life. • Music tuition in schools free to those unable to pay. • Pilot School co-ordinators for heritage, arts and culture. • Commission advice for Education Authorities on the contribution of culture to education. • A ‘portal’ website on Scotland’s culture. • Audit public support for arts and culture in terms of its social benefit and contribution to social inclusion. • Look at feasibility of extending New Deal to a wider range of cultural and sport developments. Assuring an effective national support framework for culture. • Review of the work and roles of the Scottish Arts Council • Embed cultural strategies within community learning plans. • Publish regular summaries of research into the range, level and quality of cultural provision. • Provide an annual prospectus of funding available and minimise bureaucracy. • Monitor and review the balance between project and revenue funds.
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Rhona Brankin, Education, Culture and Sport Committee, 20th Sept Col 1392 See SPICe Research Note, (September 2000) The Creative Economy 4 th Bob Irvine, Education, Culture and Sport Committee, 20 Sept 2000 Col 1386 5 rd Scottish Executive Press Release, 23 May 2000 part of the New Strategy for Scottish Tourism. providing research and information services to the Scottish Parliament
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MAIN ISSUES FROM THE CONSULTATION ON THE STRATEGY6 • Funding is too complicated. Many felt a bias towards large, national and centralised organisations. • The place of Culture in the school curriculum – especially music tuition. • The need to improve Scotland’s image abroad. • Need to strengthen the statutory requirements for local authorities to provide cultural activities and facilities. • Encourage participation and access – the strategy should deal with exclusion. • A balance is needed between the traditional, classical and contemporary. • Improve support to individual artists. • The potential of new technology. • Importance of Gaelic and Scots • Support for a national theatre. • Support for publishing and libraries. • Tax breaks to support investment. FUNDING OF CULTURE7 The largest funders are the local authorities, CoSLA estimated that local authorities spent £227m on cultural services in 1997/98.8 The Scottish Executive will spend £127.9m on direct grants for culture, heritage and sport in 2000/01.9 The largest single other funder is the National Lottery which has provided an average of £27.5m per year through its Arts fund10 over the last five years and in 1999/00 provided £19.8 through its Heritage fund11. Other important contributors are the many charitable trusts, business sponsorship, (which provided just under £12m in 199912) and self generated income. In August 2000, £7.25 over 3 years was announced as initial funding for the Cultural Strategy. This will include:• • • £850,000 over 3 years for schools co-ordinators, £1, 500, 000 for excellence in traditional arts. £3, 000, 000 for an audit of museums and galleries.
In ‘Making a Difference for Scotland: Spending Plans for Scotland 2001-02 to 2003-04 a key policy priority is ‘Promote education through, and widen access to, the arts, cultural heritage and sport’. Spending plans were announced follows:6 7
Bonnar Keenlyside (2000) A National Cultural Strategy for Scotland: Report of Consultation For further detail see SPICe Research Note, ‘Public Funding of Culture in Scotland’ 8 CoSLA, (1999) Arts Expenditure in Scotland 1997/98, CoSLA/SAC Survey. An updated survey is forthcoming. 9 Scottish Executive, (2000) Making a Difference for Scotland: Spending Plans for Scotland 200102 to 2003-04 10 The Scottish Arts Council, Dreams and Schemes, Celebrating Five Years of Arts Lottery Funding. 11 Heritage Lottery Fund, Scotland Review 1999/2000 12 Scottish Executive, (2000) Creating our Future, Minding our Past, p. 60. providing research and information services to the Scottish Parliament
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Table 2: Direct Funding Budget for Culture 2000 – 2004 – Real Terms Culture and Sport 2000-01 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 £m £m £m £m The National Institutions 36.9 38 38.9 39.2 Other Arts and Sport 53.8 59.8 60.1 61.4 Built Heritage and 33.8 36.4 37.0 36.5 Monuments Total 124.5 134.2 136 137.1 RECENT SCOTTISH EXECUTIVE PUBLICATIONS Gaelic Broadcasting Taskforce Report13 Although broadcasting is reserved, certain executive functions relating to Gaelic broadcasting have been devolved. Funding for Gaelic Broadcasting is paid by the Scottish Executive to the ITC for distribution to the Comataidh Croalaidh Gaidhlig (Gaelic Broadcasting Committee) and Scottish ministers are to be consulted on certain appointments to the ITC and BBC. Committee members are appointed by the Independent Television Commission (ITC).14 The grant for 2000/01 was £8.5m. (£8.5m in 1999/00 and 2000/01). The Task Force stated that ‘We are absolutely clear that maintenance of the status quo is not an option’ and recommended the establishment of a Gaelic Broadcasting Authority to be appointed by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport and operating within the UK regulatory framework. The service should broadcast three hours of original programmes per day in peak time and have statutory funding of £44m at 2000 prices, in cash or kind. Interchange 62: The attainments of pupils receiving Gaelic-medium primary education in Scotland This study concluded that pupils receiving Gaelic-medium primary education, whether or not Gaelic was the language of the home, were not being disadvantaged in comparison with children educated through English. In many though not all instances they outperformed English-medium pupils and in addition gained the advantage of having become proficient in two languages. Gaelic: Revitalising Gaelic a national asset15 Described the current state of Gaelic as ‘beneath a façade of well-being induced by palliative measures Gaelic is a critically ill patient on life support.’
Appointed to review Gaelic broadcasting and "to examine from the standpoint of technical feasibility, finance and programming the practicability of establishing a dedicated Gaelic television channel" 14 Personal communication, Scottish Executive. 15 The Taskforce was appointed by The Scottish Executive in December, 1999 to "examine the arrangements and structures for the public support of the Gaelic organisations in Scotland, to advise Scottish Ministers on future arrangements, taking account of the Scottish Executive’s policy th of support for Gaelic as set out in the Programme for Government, and to report by 30 April 2000." Scottish Executive September 2000 providing research and information services to the Scottish Parliament
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Recommendations included the establishment of • a small Gaelic-speaking Department of the Gaidhealtachd in the Scottish Executive to advise Ministers on policy • a Gaelic Development Agency responsible to the Executive and Parliament to administer £10 million annually for Gaelic development (not including broadcasting), in order to create the minimum conditions that will stabilise and develop the language Traditional and Contemporary Dance in Community Settings This snapshot of 13 organisations which offer dance programmes, including youth based projects and dance projects for people with learning disabilities. Among its conclusions are: • Dance makes an important contribution to social inclusion and lifelong learning • Although national funding has proved to be a catalyst for many recent successful developments, self-funding remains a problem for certain organisations. The role of the arts in urban regeneration This study looked at the impact of arts based projects on local and city-wide partnerships and to ascertain their impact on long term regeneration and social inclusion. It concluded that the Arts could have a pivotal role to play in regenerating areas of social and economic exclusion by increasing participation in arts activities. Recommendations include: • The Cultural Strategy should be the starting point for changing the views of local, regional and national policy-makers so that the arts can be used more fully as an agent for regeneration and have their contribution recognised. • Arts specialists, artists and arts administrators should have the opportunity to learn more about working with disadvantaged communities. • Guidelines for monitoring and evaluation should be improved and should include both "hard" and "soft" indicators and a Good Practice Guide for this produced. • Relevant arts bodies could design an "Advocacy Strategy" to lobby/influence MSPs on the value of the arts as a tool in regeneration. • A conference, case study briefings and guidelines for the Social Inclusion Partnerships on how to use the arts in regeneration were also recommended.
THE INSTITUTE OF CONTEMPORARY SCOTLAND The institute was launched 23rd October. 500 leading Scots have signed up to participate in the institute. Although prominent Scots make up the founding core of the new body, pledging £250 to establish the group's start up fund of £200,000, it is proposed that membership will be open to anyone of Scots birth or living in Scotland - with membership free to the unemployed. Publisher and editor of The Scottish Review, Mr Kenneth Roy, conceived the idea. He said: "What unites the founders is the deep conviction that Scotland needs a cultural and intellectual resource which is independent and committed to social
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inclusion. The institute will neither hold nor espouse political views. It will neither lobby Government nor attempt to influence public policy.”16 The institute's first initiative will be the Festival of Contemporary Scotland - an eight-week season twice a year which will include debates, lectures, conferences, exhibitions and arts events.
Research Notes are compiled for the benefit of Members of Parliament and their personal staff. Authors are available to discuss the contents of these papers with Members and their staff but cannot advise members of the general public.
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Quoted in The Herald, 23 October 2000 providing research and information services to the Scottish Parliament
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