A BACKBENCHER has accused ministers of “creative political accounting” over proposed changes to the annual funding provided to art, heritage and culture.
Deputy Montfort Tadier has criticised the government’s proposed Budget over the inclusion of “business as usual” within the commitment, agreed by the States Assembly, that 1% of total spending would be used for culture.
Deputy Tadier was an Assistant Economic Development Minister when the 1% grant was first established in 2019, and as a backbencher he brought a successful challenge to last year’s Budget to maintain the agreed percentage in the face of a move by ministers to link annual increases to the rate of inflation.
Now the representative for St Brelade has lodged an amendment to this year’s Budget that would bring all such public funding brought under a single consolidated expenditure heading within the Budget, with certain areas identified and left separately.
In the report accompanying his amendment, Deputy Tadier stated: “The current Budget proposals seek to yet again circumvent the spirit of the 1% agreed for spending on art, heritage and culture by adding areas of existing spending in other departments that have never, to date, been included in calculation.
“The result of this is that the organisations that previously received 1% will now find themselves receiving far less than the 1% over time – this is effectively political creative accounting.”
Deputy Tadier said the “business as usual” spending that he wanted to ensure would not be bound up under the overall 1% expenditure included the Jersey Music Service, public libraries, the current Jèrriais teaching service and the Community Compass Scheme, a programme aimed at reducing social isolation by connecting isolated residents.
Everyday spending on events like Liberation Day and the Queen’s Silver Jubilee in 2022 had also been included previously, Deputy Tadier argued.
“The 1% was never envisaged by anyone to pay for business as usual, direct spending by government departments,” he said.
“Including libraries, the Jersey Music Service, and indeed the current Jèrriais teaching service is problematic, as the question then arises: why not include all Education budgets targeted towards anything arty?”
Deputy Tadier concluded: “This amendment seeks to re-establish the principle that 1% of overall revenue spending should be allocated to arts, heritage and culture, with the full sum given over to the Economic Development Minister.
“This will not preclude applications for grants outside of other departments budgets, however it will seek to make sure that there is clear accountability from one minister about how the 1% is spent.”
The Budget is set to be debated during the second week of December.
