Local government culture funding is under threat ‘due to the multitude of funding streams as well as the system for funding bids’, the Local Government Association (LGA) warns.
Council spending on culture and leisure services has fallen by £2.3bn in real terms since 2010/11 and is also undermined by a funding landscape that includes multiple small, short-term pots of money, according to the LGA.
The association says councils need a sustainable and fair funding settlement to allow them to invest in cultural services, along with streamlining the multiple small funding pots made available for cultural projects.
Cllr Liz Green, chair of the LGA Culture, Tourism and Sport Board, said: ‘[O]ur analysis shows that funding pressures, exacerbated by a complicated and time-consuming system for bidding for funding, has left councils increasingly unable to protect budgets for cultural and leisure services from cuts.
‘Action is needed to secure a sustainable future for these vital services. By reducing the fragmented nature of culture funding, the Government can ensure that local government remains a vital part of public culture funding and our cultural services face a brighter future.’
