“We are witnessing the biggest threat to our cultural landscape in a generation. The failure of the Government to act quickly has jeopardised the future of institutions that are part of our national life and the livelihoods of those who work for them,” says Julian Knight, chairman of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport select committee, a Government committee that has conducted a report into the way the arts has been affected by slow parliamentary responses.

Knight added, in an interview with The Telegraph, that, “We can see the damaging effect that has had on the robustness and ability of these areas to recover from the Covid crisis. The £1.57 billion support is welcome but for many help has come too late.”

The committee’s findings were published on 22nd July in a report called The Impact of Covid-19 on DCMS sectors. The final word on the matters it addresses was that, under Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the Government reaction has been, “Slow to respond to the needs of the sectors under the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport’s (DCMS) remit during the Covid-19 outbreak”.

One of the major findings of the report has been that mass redundancies could have been avoided if the Government had realised the scale of the damage the spread of the virus could do. The response, thus the delay in offering the £1.57bn support package, has been “regrettable” according to the report, producing a term of employment uncertainty, causing irreparable damage. The report heard that a “significant proportion” of theatres, for example, may close permanently in the wake of the pandemic. 

The second important finding was to do with the power of tourism (and its subsequent lack over the last four months). The report highlighted that tourism fuels the UK economy and is the UK’s third-largest service export. However, VisitBritain, the tourism organisation, noted a 50% decrease in international spending by mid-April 2020, meaning the arts and culture, a sector that benefits greatly from UK tourism, has suffered as a result. The DCMS has called for Government investment here to promote domestic tourism, channelling internal resources into the sector. This also comes as the end of the job retention scheme looms, leaving organisations within the arts and culture to open, even at a reduced capacity and with social distancing measures.

Within the report, the DCMS has proposed a series of next steps to help the industry confront what has been termed an “existential threat.” Calls for urgent measures to support independent, small businesses and freelancers have been made, including continued financial support and clear timelines for reopening, as well as investment in sector-specific technologies to allow for social distancing in cultural establishments. The report also recommends a temporary change to Government legislation to ensure that, “Museum collections cannot be liquidated for financial assets should they face insolvency within the first 12 months.”

The Art Newspaper has also reported that “The Art Fund announced that it has doubled its prize fund for the Museum of the Year prize in an effort to help the struggling sector.” Previous winning museums would receive £100,000 in funding, but this year, a kitty of £200,000 will be divided between five shortlisted venues. 

Although the Government’s delayed response to the crisis has caused irreparable, heart-breaking damage, it will be endlessly fascinating to see how the arts and culture will emerge from this uncertain and unfortunate period. Innovation in digital, changes to the way art is experienced and a broadening of our international communication around the arts will define a new chapter in its long history. For all that the arts and culture lacks in enthusiastic funding, it makes up for in sheer resilience.