1,000 signatures reached
To: Central government (DCMS) & devolved governments
EMERGENCY FUNDING FOR CULTURE NOW
Emergency funding for Culture Now!
No reopening until its safe!
No return to austerity and privatisation!
The arts, culture and sport face a battle for existence as a result of the Coronavirus crisis and its human and financial impact. The government should agree an immediate emergency fund to ensure that the sector survives.
The government should look to the aftermath of the second world war when the UK along with many other countries invested large sums in the arts as part of their plans to rebuild society
This is also a moment to review arts funding as a whole and to turn away from the discredited austerity, privatisation and private funding model that has dominated Culture and public services more widely.
To play a truly restorative role in our recovery from the crisis we need a new model. It should take seriously our investment as a society in arts and culture that properly funds our national institutions as well as a diverse range of organisations and individuals across the country.
We hope that culture organisations and all those who care about our arts will joins us in demanding:
• No re-opening of Culture institutions before it is safe
• Emergency funding for Culture to help society recover from the crisis
• A reversal of privatisation in the Culture sector.
Why is this important?
The Arts & Culture sector has already been eroded by years of austerity. But Culture will play a crucial part in helping people to recover from the crisis.
Museums, galleries and the arts are also responsible for a significant contribution to the economy and will be important in signaling when it is safe for people to enjoy culture and travel again.
We are concerned that DCMS might plan instead to cut funding for arts organisations to pay for the costs of Coronavirus crisis. We believe that this would be a serious mistake.
This would be likely to threaten the very staff, often the lowest paid, who continued working in museums and galleries during the shutdown to keep the nations treasures safe.
Financial guarantees now would also remove the pressure on institutions to reopen before it is safe to do so.
How it will be delivered
To be confirmed.
