A BID to maintain the current arts, culture and heritage funding formula has been lodged by a politician amid fears that plans to link it to the rate of inflation will not provide as much support to the sector.
The proposition, brought by Deputy Montfort Tadier, relates to a commitment made by the government in 2019 to invest 1% of its overall expenditure in arts, culture and heritage from 2022.
That decision, which was agreed on the back of a previous proposal from Deputy Tadier, was hailed a “validation of the role of arts and culture for the future of the Island” in an Arts Strategy later published by Economic Development Minister Kirsten Morel.
For this year, the 1% figure is £11.62m.
However, the government’s proposed Budget – due for debate next month – states that: “As budgets for arts, heritage and culture have now been increased to 1% of net revenue expenditure, in future, this level will now be maintained and increased by RPI.”
Deputy Tadier has warned that this change would mean the sector would miss out on hundreds of thousands of pounds in funding that it would otherwise have received under the current formula.
This, he explained, is based on a forecast drop in inflation, with Jersey’s RPI expected to fall below 2% next year.
Meanwhile, revenue expenditure will increase overall in 2025 by 5.7% under the proposed government Budget.
“The Council of Ministers’ proposal for CAH [Culture Arts and Heritage] therefore represents a reduction of £438,600 in funding for 2025,” the Deputy continued.
His proposition asks that “no changes should be made to the target revenue expenditure model” unless a proposal “exclusively concerning the funding of those specific matters” is considered and approved by the States Assembly.
He said that arts, culture and heritage organisations would “definitely feel” the impact of the funding switch if it was approved, arguing that it would also contradict the “reinvigoration” and “enthusiasm” shown for the sector in recent years.
“It just sends the wrong message out to the industry that we have been supporting, that, actually, we are going to stop this now – when it should be a success story for all of us.”
