Creative Scotland still in dark over long-term funding ahead of crunch budget decisions on arts venues and events

Budget uncertainty looms over national arts agency Creative Scotland, with the first of funding deadlines to fall next week

The future of Scottish arts, venues, festival and events organisations is in doubt after it emerged the Scottish Government has still not confirmed a budget for a long-awaited funding programme days before crucial decisions are meant to be made.

Creative Scotland is still in the dark over the level of support for a "critical" long-term funding programme despite repeated warnings of mass insolvencies, lob losses and the "collapse" of parts of the sector unless there is a rethink.

The national arts body has been left in limbo despite a pledge from First Minister Humza Yousaf in October to "more than double" arts spending over the period covered by Creative Scotland's next multi-year programme.

Tinashe Warikandwa, Jo Freer and Suzanne Magowan starred in a recent production of Dundee Rep at The Steamie. Picture: Tommy Ga-Ken Wan

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Creative Scotland, which gets around £68 million from the Government, has suggested the first round of decisions will deliver a “positive” outcome for organisations who have no confirmed funding after March next year.

However, the funding body, which is due to make final decisions in October, also pledged to "fight hard" on behalf of the industry, and argue for “increased investment” into all forms of culture across the country.

Creative Scotland is due to make the first decisions next week on £96m worth of applications from 361 different organisations. However, it only has around £40m in its existing budget for the equivalent funding programmes.

The Usher Hall is normally one of the main venues used for the Edinburgh International Festival. Picture: Clark James

Culture secretary Angus Robertson told an industry gathering this week he was “hugely confident” about the future of the arts in Scotland, but did not explain how much Creative Scotland’s long-awaited funding programme would be supported.

Deputy First Minister Shona Robison promised in December the Government would allocate “at least a further £25m” to the cultural sector in 2025/26 – the first year of Creative Scotland’s new funding programme. However, Creative Scotland’s share is uncertain, as the Government also funds national performance companies, museums and galleries.

Creative Scotland has been warning for more than 18 months of the need to take action to address a "perfect storm" faced by arts organisations left on standstill funding while their running costs have escalated in recent years.

Speaking at an arts industry reception at Holyrood, Creative Scotland chair Robert Wilson said: “Thinking about these times we have been through – and the times we are in – money has been at the forefront of most discourse regarding the culture and creative sector.

Culture secretary Angus Robertson in the Scottish Parliament. Picture: Jane Barlow

"We talk a lot about the value of culture and creativity for the people of Scotland, in terms of 80,000 jobs it supports and the £4.4 billion it delivers to the Scottish economy every year.

“We also talk a lot about the extreme pressures that the culture sector is under and the limitations on budgets that are available from both the Scottish Government and the National Lottery. We will continue to fight hard for the cultural sectors in all their forms.

“But, positively, next week there is another discussion, which is around the announcement of the outcome of stage one of our multi-year funding. This longer-term funding is critical for cultural organisations to continue to deliver the brilliant work that they do.

“We will always work tirelessly to advocate for increased investment into culture in all its forms and into all parts of Scotland. This is very much part of our role.”

Mr Robertson said: “The arms-length relationship with Creative Scotland is very important. It is not for the Government to dictate who is supported. It is really important to recognise the critical role Creative Scotland plays in our national cultural life.

“We are very supportive of a multi-year funding approach. I am very keen to support it being rolled out right across the sector, to help give people certainty and be able to financially plan for the years ahead.

"It is important to recognise that we’ve come through a significant time of financial challenge and constraints on the culture sector. I know this and the First Minister knows this. I’m hugely confident about the future of culture and the arts in Scotland.”

Highlighting the Government’s £100m pledge, Mr Robertson said he wanted to see as much of that delivered as soon as possible.

He said: “No doubt, I will have people saying there is so much more we could be supporting and funding, and I agree. We have a job to do to persuade everybody that we need to do that as quickly as we possibly can.

“There is consensus across the political parties in Scotland that we want to support the culture and arts sector. Fair-minded people realise we are living in times of extremely constrained budgetary circumstances."

Lori Anderson, director of the Culture Counts network, which represents the arts sector in Scotland, said: “Next week is a critical moment for Scotland’s culture sector. There is a huge amount of anxiety about how decisions are made for the multi-year funding programme, and how they will impact jobs, cultural services and organisations in communities across Scotland.”

“The sector also needs clarity on what funding will be available to support the programme in the future. While we welcome the First Minister’s additional commitment of £100m over the next five years, this funding ought to be available now, when it is most urgently needed.”

A spokeswoman for Creative Scotland said: “We continue to discuss future budgets with the Government, in particular the timing of the roll-out of the, very welcome, additional £100m in support for culture announced last year. Details are yet to be confirmed.

"We continue to work towards the timelines for the multi-year funding programme, as set out in our published guidance.”

A Government spokeswoman said: “In 2025/2026 we aim to provide an additional £25m to the culture sector. As is normal practice, the budget for 2025/2026 will be published in draft later this year.

"This commitment to additional funding, despite the challenging budget situation, signals our confidence in the Scottish culture sector.”