Arts sector miss out in Budget 2018
Labour Party spokesperson on Community Arts, Councillor Rebecca Moynihan, has said that Budget 2018 does not go far enough to support the arts community.
“Yesterday’s budget is a disappointing one for the arts sector. The 5% increase for the sector is a miserly attempt to lift up the sector despite soothing words from the Taoiseach that funding would be substantially increased.
“In our Alternative Budget, Labour supported a doubling of funding for the arts and culture over the next five years.
“As a first step towards the restoration of badly needed funding for the arts, the Government could have proposed a 20% increase in funding to the Arts Council, the Film Board, Culture Ireland, each of our National Cultural Institutions, and to all regional museums, galleries and cultural centres.
“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.
“This Budget does nothing to reward their work, despite us being out of the dark days.
“The Government had a real opportunity to follow the lead of Dublin City Council and provide 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 proposed a pilot fund of €5m to be awarded to local authorities willing to take on this idea, it’s disappointing that the Government hasn’t shown the kind of innovation that is badly needed to boost the artistic community.”