This is exactly the wrong time to cut arts funding | Tech Reddy

Right now, the future doesn’t look very bright. We are facing a possible recession, we have the worst cost of living crisis in a generation and young people in the UK are far worse off than their parents.

But with the right decisions now, the Government can start to change this. They will begin to fund the creative sector properly in next week’s Autumn Statement.

From Doctor Who and Stormzy, to Vivenne Westwood and Grand Theft Auto – the United Kingdom, and London, has been at the center of creativity for decades. The creative industry is growing five times faster than the rest of the economy, there are huge skills gaps in sectors such as broadcasting, and our education system does not offer access to creativity and creative skills as in the past.

Here at the Roundhouse we contribute to that too. In more than one location, we also work with more than 7,500 young people a year in our studios. We work with these young people to give them access to creative spaces – to allow them to explore their own creativity and offer opportunities to learn new skills – from songwriting to sound engineering, podcasting to poetry. Next spring, we will open Roundhouse Works – a new space that will allow us to reach twice the number of young people. It’s not just the arts that benefit from investment in industries like ours. Businesses need creative thinkers. It’s one of the attributes employers look for, according to the World Economic Forum. It is useful across the spectrum from computer coding to engineering.

Post-Covid, the Government has wisely invested £1.6 billion in the creative sector, which keeps Britain at the center of global conversations. But we shouldn’t take our creative sector for granted. We have seen in recent days how many of the capital’s arts organizations have had to adjust to lower levels of funding from Arts Council England. Some, like the English National Opera, may have to leave London.

An uncertain future and perhaps a second wave of austerity means that now is precisely the time for the Government to double down and invest in what will be the engine of Britain and London’s future economy: creativity.

Marcus Davey is the CEO and Artistic Director of the Roundhouse