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Dateline: 28th November, 2003 Scottish 1% Campaign Scottish Equity, working through the Scottish TUC, has launched a campaign to persuade the Scottish Executive to spend 1% of its budget on the arts. "The Scottish Executive currently spend 0.53% of its total budget on cultural/artistic activity," says Lore Boswell, the Scottish Equity secretary. "Equity, through the STUC, is campaigning to increase this figure to 1% which is not far off a reasonable average. "Most of the increases in funding over the last five years have been presaged by political announcements that 'this money is for musical tuition/Cultural Coordinators/the National theatre etc'. There have been precious few funds released to address priorities that don't necessarily get recognised at ministerial level. We need a bigger cake!" The campaign comes as the Scottish Arts Council (SAC) announced that it is to re-direct funds from core funded companies such as Borderline Theatre and 7:84 towards children's theatre. Three theatre companies that regularly tour work for children and young people have been awarded funding by the Scottish Arts Council. Two, Catherine Wheels and Visible Fictions, have been awarded £91,000 in 2004. A third, Giant Productions, will be awarded £130,000 in 2005. A fourth company, Lung Ha’s, has also been awarded funding, to continue its work with learning disabled adults, involving them in all aspects of leading and directing productions. Its award of £75,000 is also in 2005. David Taylor, Head of Drama at the Scottish Arts Council explained the reasoning behind these decisions: "Prioritising new work for children and young people will ensure that more young audiences will enjoy live, entertaining drama in their local area. "The awards recognise the hard work and value for money that these companies have delivered in the past, and will allow them to develop their work and audiences even more. By involving young people at an early stage, our aim is to ensure they grow up to be educated, informed and selective audiences, who enjoy a range of theatre experiences." The companies which have lost out are 7:84, Borderline, Suspect Culture and TAG. SAC plans that TAG's funding will drop to £129,000 over a period of two years, arounf a half of what it currently receives. Borderline's marketing manager, Paul Brunton, commented, "Borderline are being invited to re-apply for core funding but on a year to year basis and when you consider it will take three years for a play commissioned from Liz Lochhead for Borderline to reach the stage, it all seems rather short termist. Last year over 14,000 people saw our shows, not to mention the huge amount of Lifelong Learning work we do in schools, communities and with businesses in Ayrshire and all over Scotland." There has been concern over the lack of transparency over the decision making. "In the past year," said Neil Murray, director of Glasgow's Tron, "the Tron has, with the exception of Giant, hosted all the companies now being deemed as winners and losers in the latest round. All of them are important to our programme and I am sure to other theatres and audiences. If, as it appears, we can't have them all, let us at least carry out the process in a way that respects all the companies involved." A spokesman for Imaginate,organisers of the Edinburgh International Children's Theatre Festival, commented, "The reality is that we are, all of us, working within an SAC budget of less than £9 million. That's less than the yearly money spent on Danish Children's Theatre. Less than the budget for one building based children's theatre company in Austria." "If we can persuade the Exec to move to 1% for 2005 we will move from (at today's figures) £139m to £230m," adds Lorne Boswell, "for what could broadly be described as arts, culture, museums and the built heritage." Equity is urging all involved in the arts in Scotland, "When speaking to or writing to any MSPs or Ministers, ask them where they stand on 1% for the Arts!" Please note that all three Archive indices are very long and will therefore take some time to download.
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