Want an arts bailout? Then you'd better praise Sunak & Co

Organisations told financial help tied to crediting culture fund on web and in news letters

Arts organisations and businesses desperate for financial survival have been told that rescue grants are tied to them publicly praising a government campaign.

Emergency funding worth £76m was awarded to 588 venues, comedy clubs, circuses, festivals, regional theatres and local museums across the UK, in the second round of funding pledged from the government’s £1.57bn culture recovery fund. Last Monday, £257m was awarded to 1,385 applicants, bringing the spend by Arts Council England so far to £333m.

Recipients in both rounds were instructed to “to welcome this funding on your social media accounts (using #HereforCulture), on your website (using the ‘Here for Culture’ logo) and in your newsletters”. The directive, first reported by the trade magazine ArtsProfessional, added that: “In receiving this funding, you are agreeing to acknowledge this funding publicly by crediting the government’s Culture Recovery Fund. This is a challenging time for the cultural sector, and the ‘Here for Culture’ campaign aims to build a positive movement uniting the members of the public and people across the sector to voice their support for culture. Alongside this, we require you to alert your local media outlets of the news.”

Social media was flooded with effusive and grateful posts thanking the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, the Treasury, Arts Council England, the Department for Digital, Culture Media and Sport and Media and the culture secretary, Oliver Dowden.

The grants, which are only permitted to cover costs until March 2021, offering many organisations only temporary rather than permanent relief. More than a third of grants on Saturday were awarded to London-based organisations, with just one in Scotland – comedy club Salt ‘n’ Sauce Promotions – being awarded £71,000. Almost a third of applicants failed to secure any funding at all.

But plenty in the sector were appalled by what appeared to be a mandatory blanket endorsement of the government’s campaign. On Facebook, the comedian Freddy Quinne posted: “Many friends of mine own live entertainment venues and have applied for funding to keep afloat … the same government that closed them down, put in new restrictions every week, risked the livelihoods of owners and their staff, are making venues go on social media and tell everyone how brilliant and supportive they are. If that was your partner acting like that you’d be in an abusive relationship. Shocking how low Boris and co will sink.”

The shadow culture secretary, Jo Stevens, said: “It’s deeply insulting for arts organisations to be forced to promote a government campaign in this way. It’s taken more than 100 days for the government to confirm recipients, with the actual money not likely to arrive for several weeks yet. A government confident in itself would not make this a requirement.”

A spokesperson for Arts Council England said: “Part of [our] remit is to champion and advocate for public investment in arts and culture, and the positive impact that publicly funded arts and culture has on people’s lives. An important aspect of this is for grant recipients to acknowledge the public funding they’ve received, how they’re using it and the impact it is having on their community. We asked successful recipients to promote funding after awards were confirmed and many have done so as they recognise that getting financial support from taxpayers at this time is something to welcome.”

Contributor

Nosheen Iqbal

The GuardianTramp

Related Content

Article image
Changing of the guard at great arts venues may be end of a golden era
As Nicholas Serota, Kasper Holten and Martin Roth move on, the race is on to protect their legacy as funding cuts bite

Vanessa Thorpe

18, Dec, 2016 @12:05 AM

Article image
Arts education should not be a luxury, says Julie Hesmondhalgh
Ex-Coronation Street star backs Durham commission’s call for arts to be taught to all children

Vanessa Thorpe Arts and media correspondent

20, Oct, 2019 @7:43 AM

Article image
‘I could have written three plays about her’: Jennie Lee, MP and wife of Nye Bevan, is celebrated on stage
The coal miner’s daughter who set up the Open University and the Arts Council and was Britain’s youngest MP is the subject of two new shows

Vanessa Thorpe, Arts and media correspondent

10, Mar, 2024 @9:00 AM

Article image
‘We’re barely hanging on’: England’s cultural jewels fall into the red
New arts lobby group says plight that hits even top bodies such as Royal Shakespeare Company makes entire country poorer

Vanessa Thorpe

24, Mar, 2024 @7:00 AM

Article image
Arts bailout delay leaves jobs at risk in UK and theatres on brink of ruin
‘Complexity and volume of applications’ stalls hand-out of £1.57bn pledged in July

Vanessa Thorpe Arts and media correspondent

04, Oct, 2020 @10:00 AM

Legal war looms on arts cash cuts
Theatres and orchestras are threatening to sue over axed funding as stars rally to their cause

Vanessa Thorpe, arts and media correspondent

13, Jan, 2008 @11:04 AM

Article image
Choirs and comedians among recipients of £76m Covid arts aid
Almost 600 cultural groups across England to benefit from latest funding round

Guardian staff and agency

17, Oct, 2020 @7:42 AM

Article image
Number of BAME arts workers must improve, says Arts Council report
Black and minority ethnic people make up 17% of English arts workforce and disabled people account for 4%, report finds

Mark Brown Arts correspondent

12, Dec, 2016 @12:01 AM

Article image
We have to recognise the huge value of arts and culture to society
Peter Bazalgette: In a year that heralds a general election, the Arts Council England chief says we should talk about the civilising role of culture

Sir Peter Bazalgette

26, Apr, 2014 @11:03 PM

Article image
Harry Potter stage magic will fail as arts education shrivels, warn top directors
Creator of acclaimed West End show and Royal Court chief raise fears due to limited access to training for those from outside London

Vanessa Thorpe

01, Apr, 2017 @8:30 PM