Creative Scotland 'impersonal' and needs 'greater ambition', independent review rules
The independent review was ordered to be carried out in September 2024
Creative Scotland is “bureaucratic” and “impersonal” and needs to expand its support beyond funded individuals and organisations, an independent review of the Scottish culture body has warned.
The review, chaired by former Public Health Scotland chief executive Angela Leitch, also told the organisation’s leadership that it needed to demonstrate “greater ambition, aspiration and appetite for risk”. Governance at the arts body was described as “difficult to navigate and lacks transparency”.
Creative Scotland was criticised for failing to look at the “potential for alternative decisions” to closing its Open Fund for artists and leaving arts organisations in limbo ahead of the Scottish Budget last year. The report said doing so had created strain between Creative Scotland and the arts sector.
Meanwhile, the review said arts bodies found Creative Scotland to be “distant and impersonal” and lacking in “art form knowledge” due to under staffing in key areas.
It also called for Screen Scotland, which supports the film and TV industries in Scotland, to be supported to have a clearer sense of identity and “the ability to act and market itself more independently within the umbrella of the national body”.
Thirty-six recommendations were made, with the majority for Creative Scotland, and others for enterprise agencies, local authorities and the Scottish Government.
The independent review was ordered to be carried out in September last year in the wake of a controversy of the body’s funding of Rein, a sexually explicit film project, and a dispute with the Scottish Government over cuts and delays to its budget.
The report said: “Having considered the views of over 450 contributors and both published and unpublished papers, the chair of the review, Angela Leitch, concludes that, whilst Creative Scotland’s remit remains relevant, improvements are needed to fulfil its remit and ensure that support is aligned with the breadth of the sector’s needs.”
The report pointed to Arts Council Wales having provided conditional offers in advance of their budget being confirmed by the Welsh Government, while Creative Scotland did not do so last year ahead of the Scottish Budget. Instead, it “chose to delay issuing” multi-year funding contracts and temporarily closed its Open Fund, which support individual artists, including singers, musicians, authors, poets, playwrights and visual artists.
The report said: “The significant impact of these decisions on the sector, both practical and in terms of individuals’ wellbeing, was frequently mentioned, as was the resulting strain between Creative Scotland and the sector. Given the discretion Creative Scotland has within their remit, there was potential for alternative decisions to be considered.”
Ms Leitch replaced Dame Sue Bruce, who was given the job in January, but withdrew from the post three months later.
In May, it emerged the remit of the probe was to be expanded and would also include the “purpose and functions” of the organisation, as well as “collaborations, relationships and partnerships”.
The review pointed to an inconsistent approach to transparency, saying that although minutes from board meetings and some committee meetings are available online, others are not, while board papers are not pro-actively published.
The relationship between Creative Scotland and the Scottish Government was previously criticised by Holyrood's culture committee, which in October called for a "substantially improved relationship" between the two entities.
The review said in their submissions, members of the Creative Scotland board had spoken of their frustration at increasingly having “their hands tied” by the Scottish Government.
The report said: “Openness in discussions with government would help address this tension between Creative Scotland looking for direction and at the same time wanting greater flexibilities.”
The Government was told it should work with national bodies to ensure alignment of public sector support for the creative industries, as well as developing a refreshed Creative Industries Framework Agreement.
Ms Leitch said: “I am very grateful to everyone who has taken the time to attend an engagement session or send me their views.
“In concluding my Review of Creative Scotland it is evident that there is a need for a strong national body for the arts, culture and creative sector. However, improvements are required to ensure that Creative Scotland can fully deliver all aspects of its remit.
“While my report has focused on Creative Scotland, there will need to be input from others, including the Scottish Government, local authorities and enterprise agencies. It is therefore important for others to consider my recommendations.”
Last year’s Scottish Budget included what Culture Secretary Angus Robertson described as a “record” increase of £34 million for culture funding. This included an additional £20m for Creative Scotland, allowing it to provide multi-year funding for many artists and arts organisations across Scotland.
Mr Robertson said: "I warmly welcome this report that shows the area where change is needed to ensure Creative Scotland fulfils its potential to support our creative and cultural sectors. This is the first ever review of the organisation since its inception in 2010 and the context within which it operates has changed in the last 15 years.
“Having successfully delivered ground-breaking multi-year funding for cultural organisations, Creative Scotland is now well placed to look at these review recommendations and help the arts and screen sector go from strength to strength.”
He added: “I will carefully consider the recommendations made for Scottish Government and will update parliament in due course.”
Scottish Liberal Democrat culture spokesperson Neil Alexander said: "Everyone who has to deal with Creative Scotland seems to have a story to tell about how they've been messed around. The SNP Government has chopped and changed the culture budget, risking jobs and leaving people feeling betrayed.”
Scottish Conservative shadow culture secretary Murdo Fraser said: “This damning report makes it clear Angus Robertson has once again been asleep at the wheel.
“It is extremely alarming that the report has delivered a scathing verdict on the quango’s lack of transparency, poor leadership, excessive bureaucracy and a total absence of performance monitoring.”
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