Britain behind Europe in arts funding and education, ‘crisis’ report shows

Britain’s cultural sector is in a critical condition, with levels of investment and development far lower than in many other European countries, says a major arts report to be unveiled on Monday evening.

Analysis shared exclusively with the Observer shows that while Britain has cut back its total culture budget by 6% since 2010, Germany, France and Finland have each increased their spending by up to 70%.

The findings of the academic “crisis” report, produced from research conducted by the University of Warwick and the Campaign for the Arts pressure group, will be announced in the House of Lords to a group of arts leaders and politicians, including the new minister for culture, media and sport (DCMS), Chris Bryant, with the support of Melvyn Bragg and musician and lecturer Kadiatu Kanneh-Mason.

By looking at support and investment levels between two comparative periods of recent history, 2009-10 and 2022-23, the State of the Arts report has uncovered big drops in spending per person in real terms.

Local government revenue funding of culture and related services has decreased by 39% in Scotland, 40% in Wales and 48% in England, partly due to the rising costs and demand for statutory services like social care. Core funding for the DCMS’s support of cultural organisations has decreased by 18% to only 0.17% of total public spending per person. And the core funding going out from arts councils has decreased by 18% in England, 22% in Scotland, 25% in Wales and 66% in Northern Ireland.

The research also identifies a big problem for arts education, with “reduced funding and a marginalisation of the arts in English state schools”, producing what the report describes as “catastrophic declines in participation and enrolment”. The report highlights a slump in arts education and employment, with GCSE and A-level entries in arts subjects plummeting by 47% and 29% respectively since 2010.

In a summary of this growing academic deficit, the report claims: “Arts education faces critical challenges, from unequal opportunities in early years to course closures in universities nationwide.”

Related: ‘Culture embarrasses them’: how 14 years of Tory fiascos strangled arts in the UK

Heidi Ashton, lead researcher at the University of Warwick, told the Observer: “The decade-long declines presented in the report represent a lack of support in all areas, from funding to education to employment, so what is required is a fundamental shift in our thinking about the role of the arts in society. This report has provided a benchmark and information to inform decisions for a more equitable future.”

The report also investigated the earnings of arts professionals in the cultural sector and found them to be consistently below the UK median, with clear regional and gender pay gaps. These were most evident when it comes to craft skills, where men earn 70% more than women.

Speaking ahead of the report’s release Jack Gamble, director of Campaign for the Arts, said: “It’s no secret that it’s been a tough few years for the arts, but the State of the Arts report reveals that things are even worse than we feared. The UK now has one of the lowest levels of public funding for the arts and culture among European nations. Local government investment and arts subject entries at GCSE have both almost halved since 2010. Our new government inherits a huge challenge to turn this around and break down barriers to opportunity in the arts.”