On 15 July a Parliamentary debate took place on the state of regional funding for arts and heritage, including discussion on a new arts and heritage White Paper.
A parallel discussion took place on Twitter using the hashtag#artsfunding, to which 250 people contributed with 1.2 million people following (statistics from the Hansard listing debate 15 July 2015 : Column 347WH)
Robert Jenwick (conservative MP for Newark) introduced the motion, stating ‘ arts organisations have never been under greater pressure to change than they are today. Whether we like it or not, state funding for museums, galleries, and perhaps for the wider arts as well, is in serious and probably perpetual decline.’ (Hansard listing debate 15 July 2015, Column 328WH).
The debate included discussion on the importance of the heritage schools initiative: ‘In the last Parliament, the Department for Education increased the amount of funding going to music education. It has also supported other programmes such as the museums and schools programme and the heritage schools programme, which are new initiatives to get heritage and museums centre stage in our schools’ (The Minister for Culture and the Digital Economy (Mr Edward Vaizey), Hansard listing debate 15 July 2015, Column 345WH)
Mr Vaizey also discussed the issuing of a white paper in 2015/16 for arts and heritage, and the importance of place making (Hansard listing debate 15 July 2015 : Column 345WH).
