Affair of the arts as culture spending backed

Members of the Public and Commercial Services union, dressed as Prime Minister David Cameron and his deputy Nick Clegg shared a bed in London’s Trafalgar Square, while the public were asked to fill in postcards saying why they love public services.

The protest, held under a banner reading Don’t Go Breaking My Art, aims to highlight a cut in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s budget which the union said will lead to a “drastic reduction” in support for cultural bodies, as well as job cuts.

The union argues that for every £1 the Government spends on culture, the UK economy gets back £2 and the British film industry alone contributes £1.2 billion a year to the exchequer.

PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said: “Like other public services that people hold dear, our nation’s cultural heritage is under threat from the biggest spending cuts in living memory.”

Meanwhile, a new “cultural strategy” was launched in Sheffield yesterday, at the city’s Crucible Theatre, which marks its 40th anniversary this year.

Called “Created and Made in Sheffield”, it is aimed at making the most of the estimated £35m each year that is spent in Sheffield on cultural events, despite the fact that the city lost out to Derry for the title of City of Culture 2013.

It sets out Sheffield’s culture priorities for the next 10 years, with particular emphasis on new initiatives for the three years up to 2013, and includes commitment to a 10-year plan for Sheffield Arena, support for the city’s growing creative and digital businesses, expanding events and festivals and taking culture to new places such as workplaces, the NHS and parks.

Council leader Paul Scriven said: “We have an excellent track record here in Sheffield with our cultural heritage.

“The city has been instrumental in terms of films, theatres, music and art for many decades and now we want to build on this.

“The City of Culture 2013 might have gone to Derry, but we don’t need titles to prove what a fantastic city we are.

“We already know this and now we want to build on this.”