Put arts at heart of region’s recovery, say chiefs
‘Disaster if our creative talent is forced to move’
ARTS AND culture must not be seen as a luxury in Yorkshire’s recovery from the prolonged shutdown but be placed centre stage in the region’s resurgence, leading organisations and senior politicians believe.
Shadow Culture Secretary Jo Stevens told The Yorkshire Post she was “frustrated” by the pace of the Government’s response to the sector’s plight and said without swift support for the region’s cultural worker base it could disperse and decrease, causing “immeasurable harm”.
Meanwhile, Leeds 2023, an organisation set up after the city’s ban from becoming European Capital of Culture, has implored future West Yorkshire mayoral candidates to focus on culture.
Countryside communities also benefit from culture schemes provided by organisations such as Thirsk-based Rural Arts.
Ms Stevens said: “This is not a luxury. I think the word culture is sometimes seen as a bit of an elitist term but this is integral to the recovery of towns and cities across the country.”
Her warning comes amid mounting concern for a national sector that 2019 figures showed was worth £10.8bn a year to the UK economy – more than agriculture – as various Yorkshire cultural organisations such as The Piece Hall in Halifax and York Museums Trust announced redundancy consultations. Venues such as Theatre Royal Wakefield have also said they will not reopen until 2021.
The Government last month announced a £1.57bn package to aid the recovery of culture but Arts Council England applications do not open until Monday, with the first round of cash not due to be available until autumn.
Ms Stevens said: “It would be such a disaster, not if just the infrastructure goes, but if the people go elsewhere. It would do immeasurable harm to Yorkshire. Nobody wants to see that.”
The Labour MP said she welcomed the Government’s package but criticised the speed at which it was being delivered, and has concerns that freelancers in the creative industries may revert to safer employment options, using the example of musicians – some of whom supplement earnings from creative efforts with zerohours-contract teaching jobs.
There are worries that the application criteria for grants provided from the Government’s new aid package is unsuitable for the informal working patterns of freelancers.
As West Yorkshire moves towards devolution, mayoral candidates will be mulling their priorities.
Leeds 2023’s director of external relations, Abigail Scott Paul, said: “This is where we really have to unite as a city to land that message. Housing, jobs, infrastructure are the big shiny things. [But] we know things like education, opportunities, boosting skills development – culture and creativity can create that.”