Detail Emerges on Arts Budget 2008-2011

08/11/2007

A clearer picture is emerging of the budget allocation that the Arts Council of Northern Ireland may receive from its parent department, DCAL, as a result of the Draft Budget 2008-2011.

Current Arts Council assessment is that the arts in Northern Ireland require an additional £26m investment over the coming three-year spending period – the equivalent of £11.55 per capita.  This increase would be modest in the context of the overall Northern Ireland budget - the Arts Council’s current budget is less than one third of one per cent of the existing health budget; or two thirds of one per cent of the education budget.

DCAL’s budget planning figures now indicate that the Arts Council is likely to receive a nominal net increase of £4.25m, the equivalent of a per capita increase from £6.13 to £7.89 but only by year three. Moreover the figures are only guaranteed for year one with subsequent years two and three being only provisional: hence there is no guarantee that such an eventual modest uplift would in fact be forthcoming.

The Arts Council’s request per annum is approximately £9m and with the prospect of an additional uplift of only £500k for next year, the sector faces immediate financial problems. This draft settlement falls far short of the Arts Council’s assessment of need. 

The increase makes some provision for the shortfall in National Lottery funding for the arts due to the redirection of funds by the Government to support the Olympic Games 2012.  However, the Arts Council stands to lose £4.5m as a result of the redirection.

“The people of Northern Ireland should have the same cultural entitlement as their neighbours on these islands”, said Arts Council Chief Executive Roisin McDonough.  “Yet the prospect of achieving broad parity with our neighbours on these islands remains as distant as ever, and we remain consigned to the bottom of the UK and Ireland league table.” 

Ms McDonough welcomed the capital commitment in the Draft Budget towards the completion of the Crescent Arts Centre, Lyric Theatre and Museum Arts Centre in Belfast.  Responding to the programming needs of the new facilities will, however, place additional pressure on an already over-stretched arts budget.

“We currently have to turn down on average 60 per cent of applications annually from artists primarily due to lack of funds, and we have been forced to close important funding programmes due to lack of resources”, concluded Roisin McDonough.  “If we are to stem the continuing decline, we urgently need to bring about an improved settlement for the arts through the public consultations on the Draft Budget.”

Details from Communications Department, Arts Council of Northern Ireland,

Tel: 028 90385263, email: jmckee@artscouncil-ni.org