The Arts have been given a £1.57 billion lifeline- but is it too little, too late?

On Sunday, the Government announced that the Arts sector would be receiving a £1.57 billion emergency support package to help the industry survive during the Pandemic. As this industry, particularly the theatre aspect, is something that is close to my heart, this is an issue that I had been following closely since the beginning of lockdown. As the weeks progressed, more and more industries received support from the Government, whilst the arts industry was given no financial help whatsoever. This led to many social media campaigns, urging the Government and in particular, the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Oliver Dowden, to help rescue the Arts Industry before it was too late. Some theatres across the country have already been closed permanently, people have been made redundant and shows have been cancelled with no plans to re-start. My Twitter and Instagram feeds were inundated with people who work in the industry begging the Government to help secure the future of the arts. Finally on Sunday, they did something about it.

My first reaction to the news was joy, as it gave the industry the lifeline that it undoubtedly needed to survive. But after a while, I began to question why it had taken so long.  Lockdown began at the end of March, meaning that most of the Arts industry has been closed for almost a third of the year, with no support or funds, whilst other business gained financial help from the Government almost straight away. It really highlighted to me the lack of respect given to the Arts as a profession and as a part of society. Over 2 million people are employed by the creative sector, yet it took so much longer for the Government to acknowledge these people and their jobs than it did in other industries.

For many, this lifeline has come too late. Redundancies have affected every part of the sector and more were expected before the announcement was made. The Royal Exchange in Manchester tweeted that the grant was 'hugely welcome' after it was reported that they were facing having to make 65% of their staff redundant. Had the Government made the decision to support the Arts earlier, the stress and turmoil of uncertainty could have been avoided.

The last few weeks have really highlighted to me how undervalued the arts are in this country. As of 2014, more people go to see a London Theatre Show than watch a Premier League Football Match. In 2018, Ticket Revenue from the UK Theatres was £1.28 billion. Without the Arts, we wouldn't have television, film or fashion, just to name a few. Yet I feel that this is always overlooked, with creative jobs not being taken anywhere near as seriously as others. This is something I want to be involved in changing, as the Arts is an ever-growing part of our society.

I remain worried for the future of the Arts Industry, as the grant isn't a solution, but more of a temporary fix. Live performances need to reopen soon to keep the sector alive and this is something that needs to be supported by the Government. Plans need to be put in place to make it both safe and practical to ensure that the curtains don't close for good.