23/11/2010

Creative Scotland, the umbrella body for film and the arts in the nation, lives to tell the tale for another year, as the local government has decided not to slash its budget. Instead, it has been frozen at its existing £35.5m.

This is in sharp contrast to the national government in London who made dramatic cuts across the arts sector earlier this year, including abolishing the UK Film Council.

The Scottish government’s largesse however comes with a caveat. They want more bangs for their buck in return. Minister for Culture and External Affairs Fiona Hyslop said, “The tangible outcome of the reduction in our overall budget will be a severely limited ability for the government to respond to requests during the year to support emerging opportunities or new initiatives. This lack of flexibility means that almost all cultural spend will be through the organisations we fund and I am challenging them to do more with what they receive and continue to strive for more efficiency.”

Sir Sandy Crombie, chairman of Creative Scotland, said, “This is a welcome expression of confidence in the contribution that the arts, screen and creative industries will make to securing Scotland’s future success.”

Andrew Dixon, Chief Executive, Creative Scotland, added, “There’s no doubt that many of the partners we work with will face tough choices in the coming months, but our aim is to build relationships that ensure culture and creativity remain a natural part of everyone’s life, wherever they live. New ideas and talented people are essential to a dynamic and healthy creative sector and the Scottish Government’s commitment recognises the vital role that Creative Scotland plays.”