100 signatures reached
To: Creative Scotland
Inclusive Theatre
As a result of years of research* and campaigning by myself and others Creative Scotland finally agreed to launch a pilot project. The objective of the pilot was to address poor/almost zero attendance of tax-subsidized Theatre venues/productions by taxpayers from socially excluded areas (the pilot was to start with Glasgow).
Creative Scotland has yet to deliver the pilot project. The signers of this petition request they deliver on this promise.
*Collected box office data clearly demonstrates that taxpayers living in SIMD postcodes 1-999 (our most deprived) are not attending Theatre subsidized by their taxes.
The pilot has 3x components:
1-Tickets for all tax subsidized Theatre cost £5 if you live in a postcode ranked between 1-999 on the SIMD (Scottish Index for Multiple Deprivation).
2-Proactive work will be done to encourage those eligible to take advantage of the offer.
3-Ongoing box office data will be checked to monitor progress.
Numbers 2 & 3 are an acceptance that for some, ticket prices are not the reason they don’t attend Theatre subsidized by their taxes. In summary, it’s not enough to simply drop ticket prices.
Why is this important?
This debate is deafening by it's absence and is a double failure as industry/government know about these statistics and yet they fail to act. Academic research shows that Cultural exclusion can affect people and their life chances just as much as inequalities of income.
This is a form of regressive taxation as their taxes (and that other working class tax the lottery) are being used to subsidise pleasures in which they don't take part. Cultural exclusion doesn't cause poverty but by being culturally exclusive it helps to institutionalise the socially excluded in a pernicious way.
How it will be delivered
The petition will be hand delivered to Creative Scotland and also Fiona Hyslop Culture Secretary Scottish Government.
