Arts: Funding

Baroness Benjamin Excerpts

Thursday 3rd February 2011 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Benjamin]

My Lords, I congratulate the noble Earl, Lord Clancarty, on securing this timely debate. There is a cold wind blowing through the arts world as cuts loom on the horizon and, as usual, the ones who will suffer most are children and young people—our nation’s future.

Article 31 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child states:

“Every child has the right to rest and leisure, to engage in play and recreational activities and to participate freely in cultural life and the arts”.

Yet, in this country we are facing the prospect of a whole generation of children and young people growing up in a sterile environment in which art and cultural activities are relegated to the fringes of our society. Organisations, such as Action for Children’s Arts—I am a patron, so I declare an interest—believe that this cannot be allowed to happen. Creativity is central to almost every human activity, as well as being part of a happy and fulfilled life, as expressed so passionately by the noble Baroness, Lady Bakewell, in her maiden speech. Without creative ideas, business and industry would fail. If we neglect the imagination of our young, we restrict our futures. But many children’s theatre companies, and art organisations, which pride themselves in providing vital creative assets to our children, are very worried about future funding. The next 12 months will be the most challenging that they have ever experienced as it will be a struggle to protect all that is so dear to them.

Like many others, Big Brum, an excellent theatre-in-education company, has voiced its concerns, saying:

“To cut arts funding is to betray young people and the future of our country, by denying those that need access most, to that which makes them truly human”.

Nowadays we blame children and young people for joining gangs, graffiti on buildings and developing their own ways of speaking and dressing. Is this behaviour not evidence that it is a basic human instinct to be creative and to form tribal culture? Unless this creative instinct is given direction it could well manifest itself into anti-social ways. In the world of art, experimentation and anti-establishment, ideas often begin with young people and lead to social change. However, without a framework and direction, nihilistic doctrines can develop at a cultural cost to society.

When the right honourable Ed Vaizey was shadow Arts Minister, he said:

“We’re blessed in this country with hundreds of arts organisations which achieve artistic excellence. Their role in education, particularly their ability to inspire and engage, needs to be recognised. Far from being an add-on or a nice-to-have, the role of arts companies in the education of our children is essential and needs as much support as possible”.

It was with that in mind that Action for Children’s Arts suggested that a children’s arts alliance should be formed to bring together interested organisations that have a children’s arts agenda. The purpose of the alliance was to celebrate the work on similarities and forge a way forward, while maintaining each organisation’s differences. The alliance would include organisations, such as the Prince’s Foundation for Children and the Arts, Kids in Museums, the Campaign for Drawing, Theatre for Young Audiences, the Council for Dance Education and Training and the British Film Institute.

To achieve that, I ask the Minister whether the Government would consider the idea of calling for a review of arts for children in England. I also ask my noble friend to consider the need to ring-fence resources and allocate an agreed percentage of arts funding for children’s arts to represent their number, presence and importance in the population of England.

I declare an interest in the debate as I have spent the past 40 years of my life in the arts both in front and behind the camera, as well as being on various boards. That experience has taught me that to help our children’s spiritual and physical well-being, it is very important that children’s access to the arts is not jeopardised by the financial mistakes of their elders. We must not let that happen.