Musicians join voices condemning cultural budget handling

Scottish music acts, including Franz Ferdinand, The Proclaimers, and Young Fathers, have joined the growing list of thousands of artists, cultural organisations, and trade unions calling for the reinstatement of Creative Scotland’s Open Fund for Individuals after it was axed last week due to uncertainty surrounding the provision of grant-in-aid budgets from the Scottish government.

The £5m annual fund aimed to support creative activity, including projects, productions or periods of research and development for up to 24 months, with grants ranging from £500 to £100k, and will close to new applicants later today (30 August).

In an open letter, over 1000 signatories from the music industry are urging Holyrood to immediately confirm £10.7m of previously committed cultural investment for this financial year and ensure that a planned £25 million increase in cultural funding for 2025 is secured by the start of the next financial year.

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Led by the Scottish Music Industry Association (SMIA), the letter calls the loss of one of Creative Scotland’s key funding streams "the worst crisis that Scotland’s music and wider arts sector has ever faced."

Addressed to First Minister John Swinney, signatories demand urgent action to avert "a cultural catastrophe" that "will lead to both direct and consequential job losses across an already underfunded sector."

Franz Ferdinand frontman Alex Kapranos adds, “This is a disappointingly short-sighted cut which will cost exponentially more than what is saved in the short term financially. The arts are how a nation knows who they are. Without them, we have an identity as two dimensional as the bottom line of a balanced account.”

SMIA is asking artists, industry professionals and music businesses from across the UK to add their names to the letter before it is sent at 14.00 on 30 August, when the Fund for Individuals will officially close. 

The letter follows an earlier petition signed by over 100 cultural organisations, sector bodies and artists, which noted: “In the same month as the global spotlight is on Scotland’s vibrant cultural scene through the Edinburgh festivals, this cessation of support for local artists is particularly devastating.”

Several Fringe performers also used their final curtain calls during the weekend to urge the government to act so the fund could be reinstated. 

Separately, the Campaign for the Arts has launched a petition, while Equity, the performers' union, is organising a rally outside the Scottish Parliament on 5 September as MSPs return from summer recess.

'A political choice'

Decisions on the future of the regularly funded culture budget are due from ministers in the Autumn.

Former First Minister Humza Yousaf previously pledged an additional £100m a year for the sector by 2028 – reaffirmed by Scottish Culture Secretary Angus Robertson – after a period of chaotic cultural funding announcements, cuts, and U-turns by Holyrood.

However, the viability of that funding has been called into question after Scottish Finance Secretary Shona Robison ordered civil servants to freeze or cut all non-essential spending ahead of an emergency budget this autumn.

“I am deeply concerned about what these latest cuts mean for the regularly funded budget due to be announced in October," said Equity Scotland Official Marlene Curran.

“This pattern of funding cut announcements, which directly contradicts the undertakings to increase culture funding made by the Culture Secretary just last year, suggest more culture funding is at risk.

“These cuts are a political choice."

Despite the outcry, the Scottish government has remained tight-lipped. A government spokesperson said: "We have increased arts and culture funding this year as the first step to achieving our commitment to invest at least £100m more annually in culture and the arts by 2028/29.

“The Scottish Budget continues to face significant challenges. We are considering the implications of the actions announced by the Chancellor on July 29 for our public finances, and the next steps required by the Scottish government.”

Speaking to the Press Association, Swinney acknowledged there were "concerns" from the artistic community and said he would be "mindful" of the importance of effective investment in Scottish arts and culture. 

“It’s a very important part of our country that we support and nurture investment in cultural and artistic activity," he said, adding, "The government already spends over £50 million in the Creative Scotland budget, and we’re obviously facing very challenging economic and financial times at this particular moment and we obviously want to continue to invest in artistic and cultural activity.

“We’ll engage actively with the community to do all that we can to make sure that Scotland’s international reputation for cultural activity is enhanced in the years to come.

“I want to make sure that there is a high priority around cultural funding, because I realise how important it is to the wellbeing and the development of our society – it’s an important expression of who we are and it’s important for our society.

“So as the government makes some really difficult financial choices, I will be very mindful of the importance of ensuring that we invest effectively in the artistic and cultural community within Scotland.”

'No viable alternative options'

In a Q&A defending its decision to pause the Fund for Individuals, Creative Scotland said, "Creative Scotland is facing severe budget pressures and has little flexibility as regards implementing changes as to how these budgets have been allocated at the start of each financial year.

"The scale of the demand on the open fund for individuals and the fact that £3m of Scottish Government funding allocated to it is no longer forthcoming, means that we do not have any viable alternative options other than to close the fund. 

"This Scottish Government funding was specifically allocated to the open fund for individuals, alongside £3m of National Lottery funding, the remaining budget from which will be used to support the successful applications received prior to the deadline.

"As the Scottish Government is unable to confirm the release of budget that was previously committed at the start of the financial year, we do not have the money available to support the OFFI past the closure date of 30 August 2024.

“In the context of the Scottish Government’s recent announcements regarding additional budget control measures, the £3m we had anticipated from them is unlikely to be released and we therefore need to close the fund to new applications”.