How is the SNP supporting the culture sector?

Culture is central to who we are as a nation. We have always valued culture and creativity, but the pandemic has demonstrated more than ever how vital it is to our wellbeing, mental health and sense of belonging.

We want to create a more sustainable funding model for culture which benefits organisations and freelancers. Learning from countries such as Ireland and the Netherlands, we will establish a “Percentage for the Arts” scheme which will create a requirement for a percentage of the overall cost of a construction project for new public buildings, places or spaces to be spent on community art commissions.

We will consult on initial percentages of 0.5% for projects under £5 million and 1% for those over £5 million capped at £1 million for any individual project. We estimate this would raise £150 million per year for the arts once fully up and running.

To aid future planning and recovery, we will agree 3 year funding settlements for Scottish Government core funded cultural organisations.