Arts and Culture: Economic Regeneration

Lord Gardiner of Kimble Excerpts

Tuesday 29th January 2013 Lords Chamber

[Lord Gardiner of Kimble]

My Lords, I congratulate the noble Baroness, Lady Quin, on securing this debate. I am confident that we will continue to work on many campaigns in great friendship. I would also like to thank your Lordships for your very kind remarks.

The role of art and culture in the wider economy cannot be overstated. The Government’s priority is growth; heritage, the arts and tourism are essential for this. Perhaps I may say straight away to the noble Baroness, Lady Jones of Whitchurch, that the recent Cabinet meeting in Leeds was precisely about regeneration and growth, for these activities are a valuable asset for local and regional regeneration. Indeed, the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of Wakefield particularly mentioned regional regeneration; the recent Cabinet meeting was an indication of that. The reception tonight of the Royal West of England Academy in your Lordships’ House highlighted for me just how vibrant and important the arts are in engaging in education, which my noble friend Lord Shipley referred to, and that these academies are at the heart of their communities.

In reference to what the noble Baroness, Lady Quin, has said about Gateshead and to what my noble friend Lord Shipley said about the north-east, that part of our country is extremely fortunate to have them both as champions. It is clear that the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of Wakefield is a champion of Yorkshire and of all that is going on there, including the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, the Hepworth gallery and other developments, as well as our great cathedrals. The noble Lord, Lord Wigley, is, of course, a champion of Wales.

My noble friend Lady Hooper referred to the Cultural Olympiad. In London this was a phenomenal success. I say again to the noble Baroness, Lady Jones, that was a positive symbol of is happening in communities up and down the country. Nearly 20 million people took part in more than 1,300 performances and events at over 1,200 venues across the United Kingdom. A lasting legacy of cultural and artistic engagement and participation, and working with the public, private and voluntary sectors, is the Government’s objective.

The Government’s policy on the future role of cultural projects and the arts in regional and economic regeneration is delivered by bodies that have the expertise and the regional presence to do so. These bodies include the Arts Council England, English Heritage and the Heritage Lottery Fund. In addition, VisitBritain aims to draw international visitors to Britain, while VisitEngland encourages domestic tourism. I say to the noble Baroness, Lady Quin, that it is not realistic for there to be cuts in all other areas of the public sector and for the arts, alas, to be immune. But I am conscious of what she and other noble Lords have said. DCMS Ministers are in discussion with the Local Government Association about how local authorities are approaching the pressures on existing budgets, and I acknowledge this.

The Arts Council has a strong regional presence and in turn is working closely with local authorities on arts funding priorities. I know that many councils recognise the important role that arts and culture have in creating and retaining jobs, and stimulating growth. I am very pleased that this Government restored the shares of the National Lottery distribution fund for arts and heritage to 20% each. A lot more lottery money is available to support the arts and heritage.

The noble Baroness, Lady Quin, also referred to funding. The Arts Council is responsible for allocating £2.9 billon of public and lottery funding to arts and cultural bodies over this Parliament, and is investing in capital projects, and supporting theatre, music, visual arts, dance and libraries. I say to the noble Baroness, Lady Jones of Whitchurch, that the Arts Council is investing in a creative people and places programme over the next three years, and £37 million will be allocated to priority areas around the UK where participation in the arts is lowest.

In the area of skills and access to finance, another strand of the creative people and places programme will provide match funding for businesses interested in offering apprenticeships and internships for young people. The aim is to support 10,000 placements between now and 2015. The priority of the Government is to encourage small and medium size enterprises, and many of your Lordships referred to this, including my noble friend Lord Shipley, the noble Lord, Lord Wigley, and the noble Baroness, Lady Jones of Whitchurch. The Arts Council is helping to address problems that artistic and creative businesses can face in accessing finance by providing business development loans of between £5,000 and £25,000 to help create creative enterprises.

A number of noble Lords, including the noble Baronesses, Lady Quin and Lady Jones, and my noble friend Lord Shipley, mentioned philanthropy. The catalyst programme has already seen £30 million being given to arts and heritage organisations to encourage match funding. On top of that, the scheme will also give £55 million to arts and heritage bodies up and down the country to build up endowments. Philanthropy all too often passes unnoticed, yet it is integral to some of our finest arts and culture. We should applaud the profound generosity of those donors across the country who already contribute almost £700 million each year to our cultural sector. I will have to write to the noble Baroness, Lady Quin, about the figures on private giving, if she will forgive me tonight.

Turning to tourism, the UK’s arts and cultural sector is, of course, essential to domestic tourism, as well as to that from overseas. Our diverse and magnificent cultural opportunities are a huge draw for visitors. Between 2011 and 2015, VisitBritain aims to attract an extra 4.6 million overseas visitors and £2.3 billion in extra visitor spend. I am proud to say that the top five UK visitor attractions in 2011 were national museums sponsored by DCMS which attracted 23 million visitors. Many of these institutions take exhibitions across the country. This year, Tate Modern is bringing the Turner Prize to Derry/Londonderry as the UK City of Culture for 2013. Last week, the Government launched the competition for the next UK City of Culture, which will happen in 2017.

My noble friend Lady Hooper highlighted Liverpool. Liverpool City of Culture 2008 saw a 23% increase in visitors over four years. That is a great achievement. The noble Baronesses, Lady Quin and Lady Jones, also referred to the City of Culture in that regard. The competition presents a unique opportunity for cities across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland to galvanise their culture, heritage, creative industries and tourism offer in a way that can help the local economy and create a lasting legacy for the future.

Our heritage presents the very best of our past and plays a crucial role in the future prosperity of our towns, cities and rural areas. The Heritage Lottery Fund provides funding for visitor attractions on a national and local scale, which has led to a doubling in the regional employment that is dependent on these attractions. I shall refer to two examples: at the National Railway Museum in Shildon, 79 jobs were created and £3.6 million was contributed to the economy of the county of Durham; and the Big Pit: National Coal Museum in South Wales offers a similar story, with 82 jobs created and £2.2 million contributed to Gwent. Visitor numbers went up by 83%.

The noble Baroness, Lady Jones of Whitchurch, made a point about the EBacc. This has come up many times before. The five core subjects account for about 70% of the curriculum. That means that schools have between another 20% and 30% of the curriculum, which I am sure will include creative arts and other activities that are clearly essential. The track record of creative enterprises in this country is very strong indeed. There will be announcements on this matter, but I am confident that we will continue to champion creative activity and the arts for young people.

I conclude by renewing my particular thanks to the noble Baroness, Lady Quin, and to all noble Lords. We have had a very good opportunity to air some legitimate concerns. We clearly all need to work extremely hard and effectively to assist the creative industries, the arts and all that goes with them in these difficult times. We have all accepted in our different ways across the party divide that they are challenging economic times. I emphasise, in particular to the noble Baroness, Lady Jones, that this Government strongly support the arts and culture sector. The investments I have outlined indicate that.

It is now my privilege to work with the Minister for Sport and Tourism and the Secretary of State, who was in Leeds on Monday talking to leaders in Yorkshire about tourism and the opportunities for that important county. These are positive examples of what this Government really think about arts and culture and regional regeneration.

Arts and culture are absolutely key to the reputation of our country overseas and they also make a key contribution to everyone in this country. This is an ongoing programme of work and there is very much more to do. Governments and Oppositions can never do enough. However, it falls to the Government and a number of key strategic bodies to ensure that culture and the arts remain a key element of economic growth and social well-being.

However, I believe that it goes beyond that. The arts and culture undoubtedly raise the spirit of the British people and they are a great source of pride to our nation. I believe these are sentiments that we in your Lordships’ House all share.