Nandy pledges Labour will foster Scottish creative talent

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has promised that Westminster will build a “more respectful relationship with our devolved administrations”, including growing the creative industries and fostering talent across Scotland.

Writing in The Scotsman yesterday (22 August) after visiting the Edinburgh Festivals, Nandy omitted to address the breakdown in relations between the Scottish government and Creative Scotland, which led the arts funding body to axe one of its key grant schemes this week having failed to secure assurances on its budget from Holyrood.

Instead, she focused on the unifying spirit of the festival and what politicians could draw from it. 

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“In recent years, we’ve found multiple ways to divide ourselves from one another, and too often our politicians have fanned the flames of culture war. It has served no part of our country well,” wrote Nandy.

“But at the Edinburgh Festivals this summer, a better country is on display. One characterised not by culture wars but by the rich cultural diversity that makes the UK such a vibrant, exciting country, with impact all over the world.”

Nandy said that while visiting the new Fringe Hub, funded with £7m from DCMS during former Chancellor Jeremy Hunt's tenure, she met artists who had “travelled from all over the UK and every part of the world and found a community who flyer for one another, promote each other's shows and cheer each other on”.

While she said she was “heartened” to hear about the collaboration the organisers of the Fringe have had with other parts of the UK, including mayors in Merseyside, Greater Manchester and London, she noted, “but we know there is more to do and further to go”.

“That’s why we’re seeking to repair the damage of the past 14 years with a better, more respectful relationship with our devolved administrations – one based on respect, partnership and the ability to disagree agreeably.

“These principles will shape our approach.”

"We will always share the same ambition: delivering a better, more prosperous future for the people of Scotland and a future where we can work together on our shared challenges, including growing our brilliant creative industries and fostering more talent from across Scotland, as well as the rest of the UK."

After hearing about the impact the festival has had on young performers, Nandy pledged to “bring the magic of the Edinburgh Fringe and International Festival to every community in the UK”, adding that “for too many young people, those are opportunities that are denied to them because of their background, circumstances or where they live”.

She continued: "My driving force is to ensure every person, no matter what their background, circumstances or geography, has the opportunity to contribute to their communities and see themselves reflected in our national story."

Nandy previously emphasised the role the cultural and creative sectors can play in driving national renewal in her first major speech in post. This position is set to be reinforced at the Labour Party conference next month in Liverpool, where a specially created Cultural and Creative Industries Pavilion, coordinated by Creative UK, will deliver a programme with more than 40 partners across the arts and culture sector.

The aim, say its organisers, is to highlight to politicians and policymakers "the solutions the cultural and creative industries have for the socio-economic challenges we face."