arts

Labour’s long term strategy for the Arts:

| haveringfabians

A reason to be cheerful? By Claire Blakemore

            There are many reasons I disagree with Toby Young, but one in particular is his reaction to the film I, Daniel Blake. The film, by Ken Loach, charts how a disabled man in his late fifties, out of work and with poor IT literacy tries to navigate his way through the benefits claims system, and finds himself caught up in an Orwellian bureaucratic nightmare. Toby Young was very upset. Not with the fundamental inhumanity of the Department for Work and Pensions claims system, or with the startling levels of poverty and inequality that have found themselves embedded in modern Britain. He was upset because he thought Loach had an: ‘absurdly romantic view of benefit claimants.’ He was upset because the benefit claimant wasn’t ‘drinking, smoking, gambling, or even watching television’. He was upset because Loach had the audacity to create a character that ‘listens to Radio 4, likes classical music and makes wooden toys for children’. [1] Toby Young was incandescent that a piece of art demonstrated that working class people were cultured.

Figure 1Photo taken by Claire Blakemore Royal Academy Summe Exhibition 2017

That someone to the right of the political spectrum has this reaction isn’t much of a surprise. The last fourteen years of Conservative rule has been characterised by the strategic

de-prioritisation of the arts. In the state school curriculum art, dance, drama, literature and

music has been pushed aside in favour of science, technology, engineering and maths; leading to a startling 47% drop in students taking arts subjects at GCSE. [2] Funding in schools for these subjects is so bad, that Labour reported in 2022 that less than £10 is allocated per student for all music, arts, and cultural programmes. [3] The devaluing of the arts has been further compounded by local funding cuts that have reduced access to arts and cultural venues and spaces. In 2019/20, around 53.5 percent of 11-15 year olds in England were participating in theatre and drama activities, compared to 69 percent in year 2008/09. [4] The reality for too many young people is that they will never have visited a theatre, been to an art gallery, or museum to experience first hand the transformative power of art and culture.

            The Cultural Learning Alliance calls this the learning enrichment gap, in 2017, a Sunday Times investigation found that private schools in London alone have 59 theatres.

between them, with many of them being state of the art. By contrast, the West End only has 42

theatres. [5] We spoke to local teachers in Havering, who say that the appetite for attending local theatres is as high as ever, and that many schools are still running trips and days out to the theatre, but that this effort is hampered by lack of funding. The number of places offered for students are limited, with demand vastly higher than places available. One of the biggest issues is the cost of staffing to replace the teachers that chaperone trips. Some teachers resort to using their own days off to minimise the staffing costs and make these trips happen. The teachers we spoke to said that to increase participation it would be great for theatre companies to visit the school themselves, or have more opportunities for artists in residence so that pupils see first hand what it means to be a professional creative. While there are some fantastic initiatives, for example Speak Up run by the National theatre, a lot depends on secure long-term funding for schools and local arts venues. Meanwhile, schools are increasingly losing art and drama teachers and the willingness and appetite for schools to provide access to these activities is precarious and too dependent on the goodwill of passionate teachers to keep them going. For example, if a drama teacher leaves, it can be the case that the provision of drama teaching will leave with it, given the subject is not on the national curriculum. Right now, the pressure on teachers is higher than ever, and with that, it is easier for cultural enrichment activities to fall down the list of priorities.

One of the consequences when we devalue the arts in state education is that we end up

with unequal representation in our creative industries. According to an analysis by

Labour nearly half of all British cultural stars nominated for major awards in the last decade

were educated at private schools. This is despite only 6% of the population being privately educated. [6] Meanwhile, the creative industries are suffering from a drought of diverse, imaginative creative talent. A report by Creative Access found that class is the missing dimension in diversity and inclusion in the creative industries, with 73% believing there is class-based discrimination, this is particularly pronounced in publishing. [7] While this is set to have an impact on our cultural heritage, health of our creative economy and international standing,  another key dimension of denying children arts and culture is the impact on their mental health. A comprehensive study by Oxford researchers in 2023 found that young people’s mental health deteriorated during COVID-19, with higher levels of depression and social, emotional and behavioral difficulties than before the pandemic hit. [8] Arts and culture form part of a holistic package of education that ensures children feel a sense of connectedness to themselves, each other, and society. Art may not be a panacea for mental health, but allowing children the opportunity for artistic expression does form an important part of a broader education of the whole child.

            But change, finally, is afoot. In March, Keir Starmer outlined Labour’s vision and long term strategy for the arts – putting creativity, art, and culture at the heart of their stated aim of a decade of national renewal. As Charlotte Higgins from the Guardian pointed out, the content of his speech mattered less than the fact that he was making it at all. [9] There has been a deafening silence for too long on the importance of the arts and culture to the UK, despite it being a fundamental component of our soft power as a nation, and as Starmer has pointed out, the bedrock of our ability to attract international investment – for example he noted Warner brothers building studios in the UK. In his speech, Starmer has promised to put creativity at the heart of the curriculum, ensuring that the school accountability framework is reworked to make sure that the arts count and that all children should study an arts or sports subject until 16. He also noted the importance of oracy skills being woven into the education system, something that private education already prides itself on. Encouragingly, there was also acknowledgement of the importance of the arts for health and wellbeing, noting that young people face a mental health crisis that the arts could go some way to mitigate. Starmer noted that while he ‘cannot turn on the taps’ in terms of funding straight away, the curriculum is something that is an immediate change that can be made. [10]

            While the election is far from won, Keir Starmer’s speech was the first time anyone working in arts education has a reason to be hopeful in a long time. That we may, if all goes well, have someone in Downing Street who understands that the arts and economic vitality is not a zero sum game. That growing the economy and investing in the arts is not mutually exclusive. The stunted imagination evident in education policy in recent years has been worrying. When Rishi Sunak announced he wanted everyone to study maths to 18 it suggested there was no greater vision for education and skills other than educating everyone to become an investment banker like him. [11] This wouldn’t be so much of a problem if this announcement was complemented also by a focus on the arts, or it was joined up in some way with other elements of the curriculum, to provide young people a holistic education. It was a good example of policy being led by ego not evidence. Perhaps someone should tell Sunak about the link between mathematical and musical ability, and that studies show children who play musical instruments are able to complete complex mathematical problems better than peers who do not play instruments. [12]

Official portrait for Thangam Debbonaire - MPs and Lords - UK Parliament

Figure 2 Thangam Debbonaire MP Shadow Culture Secretary

            Meanwhile, after 12 culture secretaries in 14 years, we now have the tantalising prospect of Thangam Debbonaire as a potential culture secretary. Debbonaire was a professional cellist who performed as part of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and describes her potential future post as her ‘dream job.’ If Debbonaire was elected, it would be a huge departure in and of itself, given that none of the last 12 cultural secretaries have had an arts education, the majority coming from Law or Finance backgrounds. [13] In a recent speech at Remix Summit London 2024, Debbonaire made another crucial point about the importance of arts and culture – the link with progress and emerging technologies, noting:  ‘It is the creative industries that stimulate ideas of what another world could look like’. [14] Both Debbonaire and Starmer seem to fundamentally grasp that investment in arts and culture is what drives innovation, rather than distract from it. Crucially, both talk about creating the right conditions for art and culture to thrive,  and that there has to be a holistic ecosystem, supported by many parts of society for people to not just take part in the arts, but take risks in it. Debbonaire has also underscored the need for diversity and equality to be part of building the right ecosystem, a critical dimension if we are to truly develop world-leading culture. She notes that she wants to see creative industries and art and culture, work together and that ‘the publicly invested sector feeds the commercial sector, and vice versa.’ [14] Critically for arts educators she wants every child to have access to high quality creative education, understanding that creativity skills are critical no matter what job a child may do in later life. But more than that, she understands that giving someone access to an outlet for creative expression is something that enriches a persons life, no matter who they are and what job they end up doing.

            All these announcements are positive, but we have to be realistic that it will take decades of funding and hard work to try to undo some of the damage done over the last 14

years, and we are yet to fully see the impact of strangling arts investment on the next

generation of creative talent. But I want to end on a positive note, because if there is one thing

opening access to the arts gives us, it’s more optimism. Ken Loach announced his

retirement last year, but there are signs the next generation of filmmaking voices are

already here, in spite of the current political climate. The film, aptly titled Scrapper by Charlotte Regan depicts a young girl, who uses her wits to survive on her own terms after losing her mum. It recently won the World Cinema Dramatic Grand Jury Prize at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. [15] Charlotte Regan, the director, identifies herself as working class, and has said that ‘I’d love to see more working-class films that are happier’. [16] The film is a joy, rather than the usual grey of kitchen sink, social realist drama it is colourful, fizzing with charm and eccentricity to reflect Charlotte’s lived experience. This is why people need to be able to express art in their own way. There is more to working class lives than poverty. There is humour, vitality, and community. As Reagan shows there are so many groundbreaking, entertaining stories still to be told.

            Finally, as Starmer said in his speech, ‘talent doesn’t discriminate, opportunity does’. [10] Artistic talent, like sporting talent doesn’t care what’s in your bank balance. Labour’s job, if they are to win the next election is to ensure they do everything to make sure that finding that talent is not a lottery. They must build an ecosystem that not only finds creative talent, but nourishes it and helps it thrive. Not just because it is the right thing to do, but because when we allow the best artistic talent to shine, we give all of us the chance to see the world through new, more vivid, more optimistic eyes.

Figure 3Claire BlakemoreOriginally from Havering, Claire Blakemore is a freelance writer with over ten years’ experience in the communications industry. Having graduated with an MA in Creative Writing from Birkbeck in 2022, she has a particular interest in working class representation in storytelling and literature and is currently writing a series of essays about widening arts participation in the UK.

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References:

  1. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-3869182/Why-Lefties-misty-eyed-movie-romanticises-Benefits-Britain-says-TOBY-YOUNG.html

10. https://labour.org.uk/updates/press-releases/keir-starmers-speech-at-the-labour-creatives-conference/

11. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/prime-minister-outlines-his-vision-for-maths-to-18

12. https://www.brainbalancecenters.com/blog/correlation-between-math-and-music-ability#:~:text=It’s%20about%20time%20signatures%2C%20beats,who%20do%20not%20play%20instruments.

13. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secretary_of_State_for_Culture,_Media_and_Sport

14. https://www.debbonaire.co.uk/blog/2024/02/13/speech-to-remix-summit-london-2024-ideas-for-the-revolution/

15. https://www.sundance.org/blogs/release-rundown-grand-jury-prize-winners-scrapper-and-the-eternal-memory-open-in-august/

16. https://www.bfi.org.uk/interviews/charlotte-regan-scrapper

The Arts and the cost of living crisis

| haveringfabians

In the first of a series, Claire Blakemore sets out why art matters and the difference that positive engagement can have in educational, well-being, employment, and economic terms.

In the last few years, the ‘cost of living crisis’ is a phrase parroted by politicians so incessantly it has become thought paralysing. Often used as a self-evident explanation of why we must tighten the public purse, it is increasingly difficult to open up debate around public spending for fear of being seen as fiscally irresponsible. After all, we need to be grown up about it. There is simply no money to go around for nice little luxuries like reduced hospital waiting times or building new schools.

Figure 1 The National Theatre London

Not only this but the cost of living crisis is treated not as a man-made reality (however global and complex the cause), but instead an inexplicable, almost supernatural event that has befallen us. And now that this bone-rattling curse is here, we must accept our new normal. The stance taken by many Conservatives is that it is unnecessary to explore what the crisis means, and how we got here. For example, questions around why Britain is the only major Western economy in which inflation hit double digits or that the economy is predicted to experience the weakest growth in the G7 in 2024, are curiously few and far between. (1)

None of this is to say that there is not a crisis. People are facing extremely difficult choices. The Trussell Trust, an anti-poverty charity that operates a network of food banks across the UK, reported a 37% increase in the number of three-day emergency food parcels it distributed between 31 March 2022 and 1 April 2023, compared to the year before (3). 

Meanwhile, the charity National Energy Action (NEA) has reported that as of 1 October 2023, there are now 6.3 million households in fuel poverty. (4)

Local councils facing funding shortfall.

No one is more aware of the stark realities of our current economy than the budget holders responsible for local council expenditure. Councils are on the front line of the crisis and have faced years of chronic underfunding, with no indication from the Autumn budget that this is likely to change anytime soon.(5)(6) Boroughs in the capital will need to make over £500m of savings next year to balance their budgets, leaving their ability to deliver essential services on a knife edge.(6) Tough choices will need to be made. In this harsh climate, it is understandable that what little extra funding there is gets directed into frontline services that need urgent investment like homelessness and adult and social care.

The loser, in times like these, as so often is the case, is that other services that are not critical become harder to justify and fall by the wayside. Nowhere is this more true than funding arts and culture.

Are the arts and creative industries in terminal decline?

The truth is that when we talk about the cost of living, we are really talking about the cost of surviving. The difficult choices that are being made on public expenditure, whether that is at national or local level, are not about how we flourish as a society but where we sleep, how we heat our homes and how we afford to eat. Set within this context, it can sound trite, even callous to refocus the conversation on how we fund theatre, film, art, craft, dance, music, or new writing.

But this is to fundamentally misunderstand what the arts can do, and the benefit they provide to the economy, the fabric of society and the individual’s health and spirit.

Major arts organisations, together with the private creative industries have been sounding the emergency klaxon. But is anyone listening? Everywhere we look there are signs that the arts and cultural sector is in terminal decline. Whether it’s the 47% decline in children taking arts subjects at GCSE since 2010 (7), or the row over the removal of funding for the English National Opera (8); or the 800 libraries that have closed in the last decade (9), or the lack of state-school arts investment leading to a lack of diversity of talent in the creative industries (10) – we are reaching the point of no return.

Alan Davey (Former CEO, Arts Council England; former controller, BBC Radio 3) describes it as a doom loop. (11) Whereby lack of risk taking and investment in future art projects, will lead to reduced participation and further funding cuts. Even if we start to correct the damage being done to our cultural institutions through funding, the skills and talents needed for them to flourish will take decades to repair. Most importantly, this will leave us not only in an economic black hole, but a cultural one.

The arts as a major economic driver

The arts and creative industries are not a nice to have but a major driver of the UK economy. Art and culture contribute £10.6 billion to the UK economy – the UK has a creative economy worth £27bn and culture brings £850m to the UK, through tourism, each year. From 2010 to 2019 the creative industries grew more than one and a half times faster than the wider economy, to be worth more than £115bn, making up around one in eight businesses, and accounting for 7.1% of all UK jobs. (12)

The British Council also points out that the arts provide Britain with “soft” power and influence. Joseph Nye outlined that one of the three key parts to a nation’s soft power is ‘its culture’: how it presents itself and is attractive to other countries and citizens. This can include its heritage and the story told throughout its history, as well as newer and fluid elements of culture such as media, digital assets, and film. (13) Can we afford to neglect such an enormous driver of our growth and global influence?

There is also an increasing understanding that arts and culture have a critical role to play in mitigating social determinants of health. (14) Arts and culture strengthen the community and civic ties that are necessary for people’s overall health and wellbeing. According to The Campaign for the Arts, arts engagement was associated with higher levels of wellbeing, social connectedness, and lower odds of intense social loneliness. (15)

The Mental Health foundation has a similar view, noting that engaging in the arts, social activities and interaction within our communities can help with major challenges, such as ageing and loneliness. It can also help to boost confidence and make us feel more engaged and resilient. (16)

Despite all of the clear benefits of the arts, we are now at a point where the economic crisis threatens to seriously damage Britain’s cultural heritage, with many of the benefits outlined above at risk, having severe consequences for employment, tourism, health, and wellbeing.

Havering and arts funding

Figure 2 The Queens Theatre Hornchurch

Locally, Havering is facing severe financial problems, and there is a real possibility of bankruptcy, with a Section 114 Notice potentially being issued in the next few months. [3] This will mean that they will not be able to make new spending commitments. (17) Realistically, if we want to protect the arts and cultural organisations that already exist in Havering, more concerted efforts will need to be made to fight to protect current and future investment.

In better news, there are signs of positive steps forward to this effect, including the recent bid for Havering to be a London Borough of Culture for 2025. The bid aimed to bring in millions of pounds of investment and was put together by a collaboration of organisations under the umbrella of Havering London (made up of Havering Changing, FUSE – a local cultural education partnership, Communicating Havering, Creative Health Havering, and Havering Council) whose vision is to transform us into a hub of creative innovation. (18)

Regardless of the outcome of the bid, it matters that there is a collective enterprise fighting locally for arts and culture, championing its importance for the community.

If not now, when?

The economic picture is bleak. Local councils face extremely difficult choices. It can feel almost impossible to talk about issues like arts investment in these circumstances. But, if not now, when? The cost is too high if we do not defend our cultural institutions when they are at their most vulnerable. Now is exactly the right time to ask questions of our politicians and leaders, when the threat to the arts is higher than ever before. It is now, we need to start asking ourselves what we value as a society. We will need to take an unflinching look at what it will cost us all if we do not protect and fight for what makes our lives so worth living in the first place. Because if the arts can do anything at all, it teaches us not just what it means to live but how to come alive.

This marks the start of a series of articles that will explore the importance of arts and culture in Havering, examining what they mean for the local area as we mitigate budget cuts, and prepare for a national election.

Originally from Havering, Claire Blakemore is a freelance writer with over ten years’ experience in the communications industry. Having graduated with an MA in Creative Writing from Birkbeck in 2022, she has a particular interest in working class representation in storytelling and literature and is currently writing a series of essays about widening arts participation in the UK.

References for Arts and the cost of Living

No.         Topic     Reference

1              Weakest growth in G7   https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/uk-set-have-weakest-growth-among-g7-2024-imf-forecasts-2023-10-10/

2              Highest inflation in Europe          https://www.newstatesman.com/chart-of-the-day/2022/08/uk-inflation-rate-2022-vs-europe-g7-other-countries

3              Trusell Trust & Food banks          https://www.trusselltrust.org/news-and-blog/latest-stats/end-year-stats/#:~:text=Between%201%20April%202022%20and,parcels%20were%20distributed%20for%20children

4              National Energy Action, fuel poverty      https://www.nea.org.uk/energy-crisis/

5              Autumn budget https://www.local.gov.uk/sites/default/files/documents/Autumn%20Statement%202023-%20LGA%20briefing.pdf

6              Council underfunding    https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/shortfall-in-london-councils-budgets-increases-to-600m

7              47% decline in arts enrolment at GCSE, Campaign for the Arts    https://www.campaignforthearts.org/huge-decline-in-arts-subjects-worsens-at-gcse-and-a-level/

8              Funding of English National Opera           https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/nov/09/english-national-operas-funding-to-be-cut-to-zero-unless-it-moves-from-london

9              Closure of libraries          https://tribunemag.co.uk/2021/01/the-quiet-disappearance-of-britains-public-libraries

10           State school education underfunding and diversity of talent       https://assets.website-files.com/65539fe2a43de480289f25d5/65551867c1da387e32dcee9a_CREATIVE%20INDUSTRY%20ALLIANCE_LETTER_15.11.2023.pdf

11           Alan Davey Doom Loop https://www.theguardian.com/education/2023/dec/01/the-arts-are-heading-into-a-doom-loop

12           Arts Council England, Arts contribution to the economy                https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/research-and-data/contribution-arts-and-culture-industry-uk-economy

13           Culture and soft power https://www.britishcouncil.org/research-insight/arts-culture-soft-power

14           Arts as a mitigating factor in social determinants of health                https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31038422/

15           Campaign for the Arts: How the arts can benefit us         https://www.campaignforthearts.org/the-arts/benefits/

16           Mental health foundation: how the arts can improve your health                https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/explore-mental-health/blogs/how-arts-can-help-improve-your-mental-health

17           Havering Council Section 114 notice                 https://www.havering.gov.uk/news/article/1290/an_update_from_the_leader_on_council_finances

18           Havering London bid      https://haveringlondon.com/