Public funding cuts, dwindling arts education, and the cost-of-living crisis threaten Britain’s creative future. Jennie Lee, a tireless champion of the arts, believed culture should be for everyone – not just the privileged few. How would she tackle today’s challenges?
By SOLT & UK Theatre Co-CEOs Claire Walker and Hannah Essex
Today (25 February) marks 60 years since the publication of Labour’s landmark white paper A Policy for the Arts, championed by Arts Minister Jennie Lee – recently depicted, fittingly, in the National Theatre’s production of Nye.
This was the first-ever Government white paper dedicated to the arts. Staggeringly, in the past 60 years, there has been only one successor – 2016’s Culture White Paper. The lack of sustained, detailed policy on the arts for over half a century speaks volumes.
That is why it was encouraging to hear the current Culture Secretary, Lisa Nandy, last week evoke the values of Jennie Lee. Her vision was simple: a meaningful national arts policy must help artists to flourish and ensure culture is accessible to all.
We are all acutely aware of the challenges facing theatre today. Production costs continue to outpace inflation, while public investment in the arts has fallen by up to 48% over the past 14 years. Without serious investment, nearly 40% of theatres risk closure in the next five years, with another 40% becoming too unsafe to use.
Lisa Nandy was right to say that “every child and adult should also have the opportunity to access live theatre, dance and music – to believe that these spaces belong to them and are for them.” Yet parents and teachers report a decline in school theatre trips, disproportionately affecting children in deprived areas. Rising transport costs create further barriers, making access to the arts even more unequal.
Jennie Lee understood that a successful arts policy must break down silos. She rejected short-term, reactive funding in favour of a strategic, joined-up approach at both local and national levels. She championed embedding arts venues within communities and integrating the arts into education to foster future talent.
She believed that only through these means could we achieve true cultural democracy – equal access to the arts for all.
In the spirit of Jennie Lee’s legacy and the Lisa Nandy’s speech, we believe there are clear, tangible steps the Government can take to secure a flourishing theatre sector for future generations:
Firstly, harnessing the current review of Arts Council England to create a more strategic model of public investment – one that encourages artistic risk-taking and innovation.
Secondly, investing at least £500 million over the next four years to repair and revitalise theatre buildings, ensuring venues remain open and at the heart of local communities. The upcoming comprehensive spending review this year provides the opportunity to do this.
And finally, enabling a pilot of our Theatre for Every Child programme in three areas of deprivation, breaking down barriers to cultural access and inspiring the next generation. Many of our members already do inspiring work with schools and communities to increase access. However, a small pilot looking to systematically ensure that all children attend the theatre at least once before they leave school (with the desire to roll it out nationally in future) would be a powerful legacy for Jennie Lee.
As the Culture Secretary rightly said, the arts are not an optional luxury but “the building blocks of our life, indispensable to our nation.” By working together, Government and the sector can ensure the arts are embedded everywhere, for everyone.
Share: