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Articles
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Articles |
The Parties' Stance on the Arts: the Labour PartyThe Arts The job of government is about ensuring that the enjoyment, excitement and inspiration of arts and sport come alive for everyone. In all our public services, the key is to devolve and decentralise power to give freedom to frontline staff who perform well, and to change things where there are problems. Services need to be highly responsive to the demands of users. Where the quality is not improving quickly enough, alternative providers should be brought in. Where private-sector providers can support public endeavour, we should use them. A ‘spirit of enterprise’ should apply as much to public service as to business. Thirty million people enjoy arts activities each year. The arts are crucial to national life, with a huge importance for the creative and tourist industries. Yet the Conservatives introduced charges for our national museums and galleries, cut the arts budget, and reduced support for arts education. Since 1997 that has changed. National museums are already free for children and pensioners. Labour is committed to reform the VAT system to ensure they will be made free for everyone from December. By 2004, arts funding will be 60 per cent above its 1997 level in real terms. An extra £25 million a year will go to regional theatre, increasing the number and quality of productions for audiences in England. We have invested in our orchestras, and put an extra £10 million a year into developing our regional museums and galleries. We have maintained our commitment to the nation’s heritage and to its historic buildings, and we will continue our drive to put architectural quality at the heart of the design of new public buildings. Education is the bedrock of an artistic society. We are once again giving children the opportunity to learn music, and we will ensure the opportunity is available to all. New creative partnerships - linking schools with artists and arts organisations particularly in disadvantaged areas - will offer children the chance to develop artistic and creative talents. We will build on the pilot projects. We have made the largest-ever investment in computerising libraries; all will be on-line by 2002, with guaranteed standards to meet users’ needs. From 2002, Culture On-line will offer children and adults alike tailored access to our national collections and cultural activity over the internet. We will will create new specialist arts schools and city academies to offer specialist education to the most talented young people. Public money devoted to the arts should be spent on excellent art, not bureaucracy. The Arts Council is undergoing substantial reform - creating a simpler structure which gives more power to the regions, cuts bureaucratic costs further, and which can deliver a better service to individual ar tists and arts organisations. We will ensure that our arts funding system backs excellence, giving artists and arts organisations the long-term stability they need to become world leaders. The Cultural Industries The creative industries are a vital engine of our economy, providing jobs for over one million people. The National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA) has been set up to back our most talented young people. Creative entrepreneurs need seed funding, cheap accommodation near other similar companies, and advice on how to develop their talent into a business. To meet those needs, we now plan to provide start-up advice, services and funding for new businesses. Venture capital will be available through RDAs, and a creative industries champion will be appointed in every Business Link. The Conservative Party Articles Indices: |
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