A BACKBENCHER’S Budget intervention to preserve the States Assembly’s commitment to culture will generate £751,000 more funding in 2025 and around £3.4m over the next four years, the Council of Ministers has confirmed.
In an amendment to the government’s proposed Budget, ministers have published details of the additional funding to be generated by maintaining the 1% for culture policy, saying ministers “recognise the value of a strong arts, heritage and culture sector in the Island, and the enrichment that this provides to Islanders’ lives”.
But they also caution that they will review budgets to ensure that all revenue spending that relates to arts, heritage and culture is included in the 1% calculation.
They had planned to replace the policy agreed in the States Assembly by a commitment to maintain funding at its current level in real terms, linking the figure to Jersey’s rate of inflation. But Deputy Montfort Tadier’s recent successful proposition, by 23 votes to 15, requires any departure from the 1% principle first to be approved by the States Assembly.
Ministers say that forthcoming budgets will consider the funding position annually “to ensure that we continue to meet the 1% commitment”.
However, they also note that the debate on Deputy Tadier’s proposition included several examples of support for arts, heritage and culture that fall outside the current budget, and they say this will be reviewed “to ensure that the total expenditure on arts, heritage and culture is captured when considering the 1%”.
“The additional funding required to meet the target in 2025 will be provided from within existing budgets and resources,” they added.
The additional £751,000 added to the 2025 budget brings funding for culture to £12.3m.
