Maria Miller became culture secretary last September
Culture Secretary Maria Miller will tell arts chiefs later that she will fight for continued public funding but only with their help.
In her first keynote speech since becoming Culture Secretary, Ms Miller will say: "I am fighting your corner as hard as I can within the government."
But she will add that she needs the arts on board "to hammer home the value of culture to our economy".
The speech will be given to industry figures at the V&A Museum in London.
The arts have faced big challenges since austerity measures were announced in 2010.
Ms Miller will warn arts chiefs: "The government wants participants - not bystanders - and I need you all to accept this fundamental premise, and work with me to develop the argument."
Ms Miller will say that "British culture is perhaps the most powerful and compelling product we have available to us", referring to the success of last year's Olympics and Paralympics.
"Either way, British culture and creativity are now more in demand than ever before... the world wants to buy into Britain."
Her speech comes two months before the government's spending review, which gives details of which departments will need to cut their spending, and by how much.
Last month, the Treasury wrote to departments warning most ministers they will have to cut up to 10% of their budgets for the year 2015-16.
Defending cutsMinisters are now preparing for the spending review to be held on 26 June.
Last November, Ms Miller hit back at criticism from senior arts figures over cuts to arts budgets.
"Much of what we're hearing from the arts world is close to pure fiction," she wrote in the Evening Standard in London.
"Accusations that this government neither likes nor supports the arts are disingenuous in the extreme," she said.
She was responding to attacks on government policy made at last year's Evening Standard Theatre Awards.
Among those to speak out were National Theatre boss Sir Nicholas Hytner, actor Stephen Fry and directors Danny Boyle and Stephen Daldry, who were honoured for their work on the Olympic ceremonies.
Sir Nicholas said further cuts to theatre budgets made "no economic sense whatsoever" and called on the culture secretary to fund all theatres to the level enjoyed by the National Theatre in order to stimulate philanthropic giving.
But Ms Miller added in her comment piece in the Standard: "We have worked with the Arts Council to ensure that frontline arts organisations have their budgets cut by no more than 15% over the next four years."
Miller 'fighting corner' for arts
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-22267625#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa
No comments:
Post a Comment