THE UK Government has said it is willing to work with Scottish Government and the country's largest local authority to address Glasgow's culture funding crisis.
It came after The Herald highlighted the calls made through our A Fair Deal for Glasgow campaign as we want a new funding deal to be explored for Glasgow's culture and leisure services.
Read more: Glasgow needs an emergency funding deal to lift it out of crisis, say campaigners
In a response to The Herald, the UK Government Minister for Scotland Iain Stewart said: "Glasgow is home to some of the greatest treasures in Scotland, indeed in the world. These works of art are part of our history and heritage and it is vital for all of us that they are safeguarded and can be enjoyed and studied for generations to come.
"Culture is devolved to the Scottish Parliament and the primary responsibility for ensuring the future of these unique collections lies with the Scottish Government. But I am keenly aware of the difficulties faced by Glasgow Life and the UK Government wants to work with the Scottish Government and Glasgow City Council to explore ways in which we can help."
The Herald's A Fair Deal for Glasgow campaign calls for a new funding model for Glasgow – one that it allows to move past the pandemic and secure its cultural assets for generations to come. We are seeking a funding model which allows the city to thrive at local, national and international level while putting the health and wellbeing of its citizens at the very centre of it.
We are calling for the city’s cultural assets and venues of national significance to be recognised and receive a fair share of national funding from either governments at Holyrood or Westminster.
Read more: Glasgow Life jobs: find extra £17m to protect culture and leisure roles, says union
The city’s culture and leisure facilities are run by charitable trust, Glasgow Life. However, the arms-length organisation lost £38m in income last year due to the pandemic and predicted income for 2021/22 is around £6.4m. While Glasgow City Council has reached an agreement for it to receive a guaranteed £100m a year for the next three or four years, Glasgow Life has only been able to open 90 of its 171 venues. Without further funds, it cannot open any further sites.
However, pre-pandemic the figures speak for themselves. In 2018/19, Glasgow Museums attracted almost 4.4m visitors including 2m international tourists. This represented almost half of Scotland’s 3.5m million international tourist visits to museums that year with an economic impact in the region of £47.5m.
With it cultural attractions a key driver to bring people to the city, and in 2019, the value of the city’s tourism and visitor economy was £774m.
Mr Stewart added: "The cultural importance of Glasgow's museums cannot be overstated. They are loved and cherished by the people of Glasgow but they are not just for the people of Glasgow or indeed Scotland. They draw visitors from across the UK and around the world. I am determined to do everything I can to support efforts to secure the future of our wonderful collections."
Meanwhile, in a response from the Scottish Government they said it was a local budget matter.
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “We recognise the significant health benefits that physical and cultural activities bring – our approach during the pandemic has been to permit as much of that as possible in a safe way. The pandemic has been enormously difficult for everyone and we recognise the particular challenges for local authorities in maintaining leisure and other facilities over this period.
“Glasgow City Council will this year receive a total funding package of almost £1.5 billion to support local services, which includes an extra £29.8 million for important day to day services, equivalent to an increase of 2.2 per cent compared to 2020-21.
“To date, the council has been allocated an additional £221.7 million to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, through the local government settlement – over and above their regular grant payments.
“It is the responsibility of individual councils to manage their own budgets and to allocate the financial resources available to them on the basis of local needs and priorities.”
Councillor David McDonald, Depute Leader of Glasgow City Council and chairman of Glasgow Life, welcomed the comments from the UK government.
Cllr McDonald said: "I have been clear the solution to the post-pandemic challenges Glasgow Life faces lies in agencies and organisations coming together to support all the work we do promoting the physical, mental and economic wellbeing of people in the city. Regularly participating in cultural activities is linked to improvements in wellbeing, particularly in relation to positive mental health and increased social connection just as we know that regular physical activity prevents at least 20 health conditions.
"I welcome these comments from the UK government and would also welcome an urgent opportunity to meet Scotland Office and Scottish Government ministers to discuss how we can work together to protect 40 years of cultural growth in Glasgow that has made the city one of the world’s leading cultural capitals so it plays the fullest possible role in Scotland’s recovery from the pandemic."
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