Cost-of-living crisis

Latest data from The Audience Agency (TAA) suggests a “long shadow” from the Covid pandemic is still affecting the sector.

The charity published its findings from its Cultural Participation Monitor on Tuesday (28 March), which found that more than a quarter of the population are attending arts and culture less than before the pandemic.

More than a third (37%) said they were attending less, compared with 12% who said they were attending more. These results were largely in line with those from a year ago, when 31% said they were attending less, compared with 12% more.

TAA says the pandemic has “receded as a perceived risk,” but added that it “remains a key factor for between a fifth and a quarter of people across a range of measures”.

Those attending cultural destinations less appear most influenced by the cost-of-living crisis, with 56% stating that their reduced attendance was because of money.

Elsewhere, TAA’s findings suggest that venues are reporting higher levels of late bookings – with 41% of audience members saying they tend to book last minute.

People are also planning to donate less, with 50% of those who currently donate to cultural organisations saying they plan to donate less across the next year.

TAA Chief Executive Anne Torreggiani says the new evidence confirms arts and cultural organisations are suffering a “double whammy” right now.

“Trying to navigate these complex reasons for income being down is very challenging for organisations,” she said.

“Developing a really deep understanding of your audience is going to make a big difference because what's working for a peer organisation in a different place with a different audience won’t necessarily work in your community.”

Union workers at the British Museum have announced further strike dates over the Easter holidays, as part of widespread industrial action.

Thousands of members of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union will strike in April in a “significant escalation” of the ongoing dispute over pay, pensions, redundancy terms and job security.

Staff at the British Library will take two weeks of action, between 3 April and 16 April, while staff at the British Museum will strike for seven days from 6 April to 12 April.

The dates fall in the middle of the Easter holidays, when local families as well as thousands of tourists will be hoping to visit the museum, which attracts more than six million visitors annually.

The planned strike follows upheaval at the museum last month. More than 100 staff members staged a walkout on 1 February, resulting in the last-minute closure of the museum.

A further strike from 13 February to 19 February, during half term, resulted in the cancellation of scheduled activities and the disruption or closure of services including the box office and information desk.
 

The National Theatre says it is planning to reduce its activity over the next four years “in order to ensure financial stability”.

The theatre attributed the decision to several factors including inflation, rising energy costs, a drop in audience levels and a 5% cut to its Arts Council England funding, equivalent to £850,000 per annum.

Its accounts for the year ending March 2022 show total income stands at £80.8m, up from £56.3m last year, but down on pre-pandemic figures which were in excess of £100m.

Expenditure for the financial year 2021/22 came to £80.1m, leaving a surplus of £700,000.

Audience figures remained 21% down on pre-pandemic attendance, while donations were down £3.1m on the previous year. 

Staff numbers also decreased by nearly 12%, from 759 to 669, following redundancies undertaken as part of the theatre’s Covid Recovery Plan.

A statement from the accounts reads: “We are reviewing our four-year plan and have identified opportunities with supporting investment to set more growth targets for digital income streams, commercial exploitation of our products, trading net revenue and philanthropic support.”

“At the same time, we are carrying out a strategic review to hone our key aims and objectives.”

The theatre adds it remains confident about its future, but warns "these are very challenging times for us, the cultural sector and society in general”.

The Courtyard performing arts centre in Hereford has announced a series of Food For Families events that offer families struggling to make ends meet a free hot buffet meal alongside a programme of art activities for children.

Supported by Talk Community Hub’s Winter of Wellbeing fund, the events will run on three consecutive Saturdays, starting on Saturday 11 March..

Activities for children include a scavenger hunt, scheduled for 11 March, create your own seascape on 18 March and animal crafts on March 25.  

The Courtyard, which is serving as a warm space, has been a Talk Community Hub since 2020, when it underwent renovations and upgrades including a new accessible box office and retail area and a new workshop and performance space.

One of a network of hubs across Herefordshire, it offers a place for local people to access information and activities to support their wellbeing and independence.
 

UK theatres need additional funding to make them more sustainable, the national advisory body for theatres has said.

Jon Morgan, Director of Theatres Trust, said “a record number of applications” for the Trust’s Theatre Improvement Scheme “shows the urgent need for funding for sustainability improvements”.

Seven theatres across the UK have received funding awards totalling £124,000 in the latest round of the scheme, which is supported by the Wolfson Foundation.

The funded projects demonstrate “the range of ways that theatres can make a difference,” Morgan said.

He added: “This grants scheme, along with our ongoing work on the Theatre Green Book, is part of our overall mission to make theatres more sustainable.”

Funded projects include the Grade-II listed Leeds Grand Theatre, which aims to reduce its water use by up to 50% with new taps, toilet flushes and shower valves.

The Garage in Norwich is using its funding to install solar panels and LEDs, reducing its lighting energy use by up to 80%.

The other funded venues are: New Diorama Theatre in London; the Old Fire Station, Oxford; Tyne Theatre & Opera House, Newcastle; An Lanntair in Stornoway; and Cast in Doncaster.

Paul Ramsbottom, Chief Executive of the Wolfson Foundation, said: “At this time of high energy costs, we know that improving the environmental and financial sustainability of buildings has renewed urgency for the sector.

“These seven projects are excellent examples of the practical changes organisations can make.”

The next round of the Theatre Improvement Scheme is now open for applications, with £115,000 to be awarded in grants of up to £20,000.

The Scottish Government has announced an additional £500,000 of funding for Museums Galleries Scotland this financial year to help tackle ongoing cost of living challenges.

Scotland’s Culture Minister Neil Gray confirmed the funding during the launch of Scotland’s Museums and Galleries Strategy 2023-2030 in Edinburgh last Thursday (2 January).

He said the funding will help increase resilience in Scotland’s museum sector and will enable more energy efficiency projects to be funded.

The commitment is one of the first funding distributions to be made since the Scottish Government announced it will be cutting funding levels to arts and culture by 10% this year.

CEO of Museums Galleries Scotland Lucy Casot “warmly welcomed” the additional support.

“We had a huge response to our Resilience Fund and we are very pleased that this funding will enable us to support more museums and galleries to manage ongoing cost of living challenges and to undertake energy efficiency projects,” she added.