Councils’ spending on culture in England remains under threat because of the multitude of funding streams and wider funding pressures, LGA infographics have revealed.
Local government remains the largest single funder of culture, spending £1 billion a year, but the LGA’s research reveals that this has fallen by £2.3 billion in real terms since 2010/11.
This is in part because of rising demand for adult social care, children’s social care and homelessness services, alongside a 24 per cent real-terms reduction in core spending power since 2010/11, which has squeezed all budgets.
The research also lays bare a cultural funding landscape that includes multiple bidding pots, some of which are very small and more than 90 per cent of which are available for three years or fewer.
Cllr Liz Green, Chair of the LGA’s Culture, Tourism and Sport Board, said: “Cultural services help to boost local economies by driving high street footfall, supporting creative industries and the visitor economy.
“They also promote better wellbeing and support educational outcomes, while bringing joy and hope to people across society.
“However, our analysis shows that funding pressures, exacerbated by a complicated and time-consuming system for bidding for funding, has left councils increasingly unable to protect budgets for cultural and leisure services from cuts.
“By reducing the fragmented nature of culture funding, the Government can ensure that local government remains a vital part of public culture funding and our cultural services face a brighter future.”