A continued downward trend in arts activity, the prospect of more budget cuts in the future and a growing emphasis on the economic value of arts services are some of the trends identified in Arts Development UK’s (AD:uk) ninth annual local authority arts spending survey.
The just released data looks at the level of arts spending for the 2012/13 period. The survey, which took the form of a questionnaire, was sent to all authorities in England and Wales during the summer. Seventy local authorities responded, representing 21% of all authorities in England and Wales. Those not responding included Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool, Leeds, Sheffield, Newcastle and all but two (Bexley and Camden) London boroughs.
Key findings based on those that did complete the questionnaire include:
– The average local authority budget for arts spending is £384,987, consistent with the previous year’s average of £381,605. With inflation at 2.6% this represents small but significant drop.
– The average spend on staff costs has decreased to £157,705 from £194,196 in 2011/12;
– The average spend on revenue-funded clients has declined by over 41%;
– For every £1 spent by local authorities on arts service, grant aid and partnership working brings in £3.83 of additional funding;
– Only three authorities recording capital spends, each of under £2,000.
– Although 50% of arts services reported a standstill in funding, another 31.8% are expecting severe service reduction in the future;
– There is a significant decline in partnership working between the Arts Councils in England and Wales and some local authorities.
While on the whole the findings reveal that difficult times lie ahead, survey responses suggested that the social role of arts services within communities is increasingly recognised and that arts services played a key role during the Cultural Olympiad.
Two local authority arts services closed at the beginning of 2012/13, and respondents also reported an increasing trend towards combining arts services with other services. At the same time many reported greater security for arts services, where they are seen to be delivering strongly against corporate objectives.
Jane Wilson, Chair of AD:uk, said: “The fact that arts services are increasingly able to make the case for their role in meeting wider corporate objectives, especially economic, shows that as a sector we are adapting to new circumstances, and it is good to see that local authority arts budgets have stabilised, at least in the short term. It is however more concerning to see the lack of any capital investment and the reduction in funding for staff, as these short term savings, often with little short term impact, clearly put at risk the long term health of locally based arts.”
A full version of the report is available on the Arts Development UK website here.
