The UK’s arts sector can’t absorb more years of repeated, sporadic interventions

Apparently, though, we are content to see these vital contributions diminish or even vanish entirely. Public funding for UK arts and cultural organisations fell by 18% between 2010 and 2023, representing a staggering 46% real terms cut in arts funding since 2005. That’s successive governments choosing everything else over the arts, with the very thought of supporting a local theatre sending the Treasury into a cold sweat.

We’ve fallen out of love with the origins of art. We’ve stopped appreciating the countless hours, immense talent, and unwavering dedication required to create it. Forget ‘farm-to-fork’; when it comes to culture, we’re content with the factory-made, fully processed version, giving little thought to the artists who cultivate it.

This dismissive approach has relegated theatre, dance, visual art, literature, and music to the bottom of the pile in our education system and public discourse. Often deemed “soft” or optional, these vital outputs provide aspiration and inspiration to millions.

Despite their impact and immense economic contribution, the arts are consistently seen as a ‘nice to have’ rather than a ‘must have’.  Their output might not always be a tangible product or a scientific breakthrough, but their value is undeniable.

Imagine, for a moment, what the arts sector could achieve if it received the same level of sustained strategic backing and investment as other economically ‘sexier’ industries, like tech or finance. The potential for growth, innovation, and global impact would be astronomical.

To secure the future of our cultural life, we must fundamentally shift this outdated perspective. Fail to do so, and we become a society content with a diminishing creative output, a dwindling supply of the inspiration and joy that define what it means to be human, and a multi-billion-pound hole in our economic figures.

So, where do we begin? To reverse this devaluation and secure a sustainable future for the UK’s arts sector, two fundamental shifts are needed: strong, visionary leadership and a genuine, long-term perspective.

First, we need leadership that doesn’t view the arts as merely a photo-op backdrop or a nuisance to be quietly managed. Policymakers must grasp that the intrinsic value of culture – the joy, inspiration, and critical thought it fosters – cannot be reduced to a spreadsheet entry, nor seen as a discretionary spend. While private philanthropy and individual organisational efforts are vital, government must step up. It must provide the strategic direction and sustained public support necessary to allow the arts to thrive and unleash the full extent of talent that exists in the UK.

Secondly, this leadership must commit to a genuine, long-term perspective. The arts have long been buffeted by political tides and short-term whims. Now, with the sector facing an existential threat, only a cohesive, sustained approach will do. This means implementing stable, multi-year funding frameworks that allow institutions to plan, innovate, and train the next generation of talent, free from the constant fear of the axe. The UK’s arts sector cannot absorb more years of repeated, sporadic interventions. Like any other vital sector, instead it requires patient investment and strategic foresight to deliver on its potential.

Tomorrow’s Spending Review is a critical test. It will reveal whether this government truly understands the blueprint for a thriving, creative Britain, and whether it’s willing to deliver the bold leadership and vision to put it in place.

The choice is stark: continue to undervalue the arts, treating them as expendable luxuries, or embrace them as the essential national infrastructure they truly are.

Choose the latter, and the future is bright. Choose the former, and we’re telling the rest of the world that the UK is happy to see the soul of the country quietly flatline.