Labour Alternative Budget first step in doubling funding for the Arts – Moynihan
Speaking as the Labour Party launches its Alternative Budget 2018, Labour spokesperson for Community Arts, Councillor Rebecca Moynihan, said the party’s plan for the Arts is a first step toward restoring badly needed funding for the Arts and Culture sector.
“We know that a vital and vibrant sector attracts visitors, gets people off their couches and into venues, brings life and business to towns and cities, provides employment in the arts and in other ancillary sectors, makes population centres attractive to employers and so on.
“There has to be more to an arts policy than making a business case. Providing space and providing supports for the creative arts to flourish should never just be about a balance sheet or a cost benefit analysis.
As a first step towards the restoration of badly needed funding for the arts, we propose a 20% increase should be granted to the Arts Council, the Film Board, Culture Ireland, each of our National Cultural Institutions, and to all regional museums, galleries and cultural centres. Our intention is to support a doubling of funding for the arts and culture over the next five years.
“Irish artists continued to produce world-class content throughout the darkest days of the crisis. They are cultural ambassadors for our country, and the work they produce has immense social, economic and reputational benefit for Ireland.
“Public endowment of the arts is returned many times over, and now that we are seeing a recovery we must see more public spaces provided to artists. As Chair of Dublin City Council’s Arts Committee, we have led the campaign for artists studios built and controlled by the City Council, to give artists secure spaces in which to work. In our Alternative Budget we are providing a pilot fund of €5m to be awarded to local authorities willing to take on this idea.
“The Labour Party has a proud record of supporting the arts and culture. I am proud that we continue to do so in our Alternative Budget 2018 proposals.”
ENDS
Notes to Editors:
Labour’s Alternative Budget can be found here www.labour.ie/download/pdf/