HERE COME THE CUTS…

The UK Government’s Spending Review was announced on 20 October. Key points are (apologies that this section is far from “succinct”, but it is such an important story…):

• The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) will reduce overall resource spending by 24% over the next four years

• The total administration budget for the DCMS and its “arm’s lengths bodies” will be reduced by 41 per cent. This includes Arts Council England making administration savings of 50 per cent (more info below on ACE)

• This has allowed the Government to limit cuts to museums and grant-funded arts organisations to 15 per cent

• Funding package of £9.3 billion for Olympics is maintained

• Capital project funding for the Tate Modern, the British Museum, and the British Library Newspaper Archive in Boston Spa confirmed

• Funding will end for the Creative Partnerships programme, and will be cut for the British Film Institute by 15%

• 19 of DCMS’ 55 public bodies will be abolished or reformed. This includes the abolition of the UK Film Council and Museum, Libraries and Archives Council

• The Renaissance Programme for regional museums will continue but with DCMS funding reduced by around 15% over four years

• Free admission to national museums and galleries is maintained

• BBC Licence fee will be frozen until 2016-17

• Arts Council England has been cut by 29.6 %. This means their funding will reduce from £450m to £350m in real terms in 2014.

• The Secretary of State has asked ACE to try to ensure that funding for arts organisations is not cut by more than 15% over the next four years

The Government has also stated its commitment to: encouraging corporate investment to bring in new sources of funding and philanthropic giving, particularly in the arts; providing greater freedom and flexibilities for museums through easier access to reserves of privately raised funds, and taking a more strategic approach to public funding for the arts; and continuing to reform Lottery funding to ensure more money goes to support projects in the arts, sport and heritage, by allocating 60 per cent of Lottery funding to these causes and 40 per cent to the voluntary and community sector