CULTURE COUNTS Culture Counts are key bodies in Scotland’s arts, media, culture, heritage, cultural industries, libraries and museums sector who share the common aim of positively and progressively highlighting the value of arts, culture and the creative industries. We believe that culture counts.
Culture and the creative industries contribute £6.3 billion to the Scottish economy i 91% of adults in Scotland are engaged with the arts ii More people in Scotland dance than play football and more attend concerts than football matches iii Our museums and galleries attract 25 million people a year and are worth an estimated £800 million to the economy iv
Scotland is a creative nation where culture and creativity define our national and international identity and express our values, beliefs and traditions. Scotland’s arts, culture and creative industries constitute one of the most important sectors in Scotland’s success, combining innovation, creativity and our cultural heritage. They enhance our global reputation, generate economic growth, drive tourism and enrich us as citizens.
…IN SCOTLAND’s COMMUNITIES As well as contributing to our national wellbeing, Culture defines the heritage, traditions and character of local areas, communities, families and individuals. It influences how people feel about living, working and investing locally and contributes to:
strengthened community identity and pride positive health and wellbeing enhanced educational outcomes increased economic development increased self-esteem for individuals improved quality of life
Scotland’s Local Authorities play a major role in supporting this work both through direct investment in local groups and activity and through ownership and management of key local cultural assets such as libraries, archives, museums and theatres. In 2010/11 investment in Culture (including libraries, museums and galleries) by Scotland’s Local Authorities amounted to £220m or 81 pence a week per person. Scottish Government Local Government Finance Statistics (Feb 2012): http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2012/02/2421/0
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SCOTLAND’S PEOPLE CARE ABOUT CULTURE People across Scotland take part in the arts. The Scottish Household Survey reveals that 91% of adults in Scotland are engaged with the arts and attendance numbers have been sustained and more people in Scotland dance than play football. Results from the Scottish Household Survey Culture and Sport Module 2007/2008, 24 November 2009
“People are pleased to have a theatre, museum or gallery in their town or neighbourhood, regardless of whether they visit them (cultural economics calls these ‘existence’ benefits).” Bakhshi et al (2009) Measuring Intrinsic Value
CULTURE STRENGTHENS SCOTLAND’S COMMUNITIES The arts are an important means of communication; they provide an alternative language that can help people understand each other better. They allow people to access the perspectives and experiences of others, to see how others live their lives. This broadens their own horizons, leads them to question their assumptions and generates better citizenship. Arts Council England (2007) Public Value of the Arts in England
Maintaining key local cultural assets such as libraries, archives, museums and theatres is vital to provision of cultural activity, whether it is by the local authority or the many local groups (including volunteer groups) who create regular opportunities to take part in and enjoy the arts. "For some communities the arts can be the glue that holds them together" Survey Respondent Arts Council England (2007) Public Value of the Arts in England
“Culture in community-focused projects, including regeneration, can contribute to local pride, a sense of empowerment and greater commitment to the local area.” Scottish Government (2008) Culture Delivers
CULTURE CONTRIBUTES TO OUR HEALTH & WELLBEING The arts celebrate Scotland’s culture and achievement during good times, and they sustain us during times of need. There is an important – and proven - role for the arts in providing positive, meaningful and uplifting experiences for people. Involvement in the arts is known to increase people’s confidence, self-esteem and sociability. According to the UK Skills Minister, courses such as dance are “arguably more important” in times of financial constraint because they “make people happy”. An example is the unemployed 56-year-old man who took dance classes in his spare time for a year and, as a result, gained the confidence to apply for jobs. The Guardian (2010) Skills minister says dance away the recession blues, 16 June 2010
“It was the only thing in my life worth living. It is very positive when you are having a rotten time in your life so the more access to the arts the better.” Scottish Development Centre for Mental Health, July 2010
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CULTURE GIVES PEOPLE SKILLS FOR LIFE Scotland has always been famed for its imagination, inventiveness and practical approaches to making things work. The creative energy and talent that sustain the arts have a vital role in securing Scotland’s position in the emerging global knowledge economy. The Curriculum for Excellence has greater focus on creativity and entrepreneurship in schools.
"The inspiration and power of the arts play a vital role in enabling our children and young people to enhance their creative talent and develop their artistic skills." Learning Teaching Scotland Curriculum for Excellence: Expressive Arts Principles and Practice
“Hundreds of people in key communities are developing inter-personal and life skills, improving their employability, overcoming social barriers, developing community identity, providing employment, working with young people and improving the quality of their own and other people’s lives through participation in the arts and crafts." Diamond, A. Dr. 2006, Voluntary Arts Report “Articipate.”
CULTURE CONTRIBUTES TO THE LOCAL ECONOMY In many cases, the direct investment by local authorities acts as the initiator of further and greater inwards investment of funding - creating jobs and money in the local economy. Employment is rising three times faster in the sector than in the general economy. The number of cultural and creative enterprises in Scotland has increased by 27% in the past decade compared with 4% across all other industries. Creative and Cultural Skills (2008) Cultural Heritage Blueprint Scottish Enterprise website: Creative Industries: Key Facts, copyright 2008-2011
“The performance of the creative industries in recent years has been one of the great unsung success stories of the economy. They generate over twice as much value added as tourism, and are now comparable in size to the financial services industry.” Staying Ahead: The Economic Performance of the UK Creative Industries (2007), The Work Foundation The local cultural offer is a major factor affecting business relocations and attracting a skilled workforce and it is a key factor in drawing visitors to an area. Scottish tourism is worth £11 billion to the economy each year, or 10% of our GDP. Visit Britain (website), VISITOR ECONOMY FACTS – updated October 2010
“Scotland manages to exert more soft power than many states with economies and populations hundreds of times their size, an object lesson in the attractive power of culture, human capital, heritage, language and landscape in our modern age.” Scottish Government (2010) Nation Brands Index
A quarter of visitors to Scotland take in our art galleries and significant numbers also attend theatrical and live music events, and seek out literary and film locations. Visit Britain (2010) Activities Undertaken by Visitors from Overseas in Different Areas of the UK, Updated November 2010
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CULTURE COUNTS The arts, culture and creative industries make a significant contribution to local communities through:
strengthened community identity and pride positive health and wellbeing enhanced educational outcomes increased economic development increased self-esteem for individuals improved quality of life
The Scottish Government has recently affirmed the importance of culture with the inclusion in the updated National Performance Framework of a new Indicator for Culture – Increase Cultural Engagement. We believe that culture counts and ask you to ensure that its importance is reflected in the stated policies and objectives of local government. In recognition of the significant social and economic contribution made by the arts, culture and the creative industries to communities in Scotland we would encourage Local Government to:
Implement strategies to increase cultural engagement meeting the new Indicator for Culture.
Recognise and articulate in Single Outcome Agreements and Community Partnership Planning the full potential of culture’s contribution across a range of National Outcomes.
Maintain core investment for culture.
Maintain and develop any specific local initiatives to encourage growth.
CULTURE COUNTS c/o Federation of Scottish Theatre 30b Grindlay Street, Edinburgh EH3 9AX
E: culturecounts@scottishtheatre.org Web: www.culturecounts.wordpress.com/home
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Creative Scotland Economic Contribution Study, June 2012 Results from the Scottish Household Survey Culture and Sport Module 2007/2008, 24 November 2009 iii Ibid. iv Scottish Government (2010): Scotland's Spending Plans and Draft Budget 2011-12, Scottish Government ii
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