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- The Scottish Executive's consultation document on a National Cultural Strategy
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Why UNISON? UNISON Scotland is glad to have this chance of responding to the Consultation document Celebrating Scotland - A National Cultural Strategy. UNISON is Scotland's largest public service union, with members working in many disparate parts of Scotland's cultural life, from voluntary arts projects to Scotland's major theatres; from education to sport and leisure; from community and therapeutic arts to library and information provision; and from archives to architecture. We have taken a high profile in our campaigning for a Scottish Parliament and have been prominent in our support for Scottish arts and culture. Our sponsorship of 1997's 7:84 Theatre Group's production and tour of Caledonia Dreaming, for example, neatly encapsulated these different but related aims. We therefore feel fully qualified to comment on the consultation paper. Main Aims It seems to us that the need for a National Cultural Strategy is clearly demonstrated by the number and diversity of cultural agencies, providers and finders currently active in this area. Given this diversity we suppose it is unsurprising that the consultation document is lacking in clear and practical recommendations - but we do look forward to future detailed discussions on the need to reform Scottish artistic and cultural agencies and the ways in which accountability can be promoted. We hope therefore, that the submission of this basic response will not be the end of our input. As the consultation document says '...discussion and debate continue'. That this happens will be extremely important if the eventual strategy is to be seen as belonging 'to the people of Scotland'. In such a diverse sector it will be important to give everyone the opportunity to voice their opinion and to hear everyone's voice. The Community - central to success UNISON wants to be clear about our support for many of the benefits of cultural activity identified in the document. It is also clear however that most, if not all, of these benefits can be addressed most successfully by addres sing the issue of people becoming 'involved in the [cultural] life of his or her community'! Get that involvement and you will have a dynamic innovative and civilising culture, contributing to the educational aid economic development of that community; involving all the people and creating a distinct identity! We suggest, therefore, that the role of arts/culture in the community should be seen as central to this process mad the devolution of decisions to a more local level could assist in the development of this key area. Conversely many things that require to be supported, if the cultural life of Scotland's communities is to be expanded are under attack. Cuts in local authority and other public service budgets have had a disproportionately damaging effect on community arts. These resource issues must be addressed, if community arts are to take the important place they deserve in the life of our communities. Scope The huge range of activities that can and should be incorporated under any serious definition of culture highlight the key role that local authorities should play in providing and promoting these activities in local communities. It is arguable that the activities listed should also include sport and other physical activities if a comprehensive approach to cultural life is to be attempted. We can understand why this huge area of activity is not listed here but - unless sport is to be covered separately - UNISON thinks that it should be considered as part of the overall cultural environment. Other activities mentioned (TV, film, video and multimedia and the likely explosion of activity in digital art/culture) point to the error that was made in excluding broadcasting from the remit of the Scottish Parliament. Broadcasting clearly should he included in any national cultural strategy - and our Scottish Parliament should have a voice and role in this increasingly important area of cultural life. Encouragement and support for Gaelic and Scots is important, but should not be at the expense of other minority cultures and languages. Work in all these areas should also be aimed at including people with other cultures in mainstream, not perpetuating isolation. Producers and Providers The 'mixed economy' that funds, and will continue to fund, cultural activity should be recognised as a potential benefit, but the need to cut out cross-funding and duplication argues for some kind of partnership between organisations (funders, providers and consumers). UNISON contends that this partnership will be most effective at a local level, by locally accountable organisations. Therefore, we would argue for some kind of partnership bodies at local level (the geographical areas would probably be different in different parts of Scotland). These bodies would need to involve organisations including the public and private sector, community and voluntary groups. artists and Individuals. This proposal is very similar to the concept of community planning. put forward recently by many authorities. We would argue that similarly, local authorities would be best placed to lead these cultural bodies. Resources Arts and culture will always demand more resources than there are available. In the current vibrant state of Scottish culture it is unlikely to be any other way. However, the deliberate reduction in real terms of financial resources to Scotland's biggest supporters and providers of cultural activity - the local authorities - has meant increasing problems for arts organisations and decreasing levels of service in directly provided services. Reduced opening hours/ (increased charges/ failure to maintain buildings etc. are common throughout Scotland. This has been felt proportionally worse in many areas of the arts because there is little or no legislation protecting provision this area. Statutory duties for local authority cultural provision are few and far between. UNISON suggests that the Scottish Executive and the Scottish Parliament should look at the need to broaden and strengthen the obligations on local authorities to provide proper cultural provisions - and to provide the appropriate resources for them to carry this out. Mechanism/Structures If the concept of local forums, local decisions, and community-based arts is accepted, then this argues against the centralising of powers in the variety of national organisations and quangos in the arts and cultural scene. These organisations have little or no accountability to Scottish people at a local level. As we indicated earlier; UNISON favours some kind of locally based partnership deciding local needs. We see no reason why these should not also he responsible for allocating grants and resources. The need for local authorities' key role in such partnerships has already been suggested. ln addition to the arguments given then, there are more.
These further support the need for such partnerships. and the need for a lead role for local authorities, in order to coordinate local cultural provision Conversely, further fragmentation of local cultural provision is threatened by hiving-off local authority responsibilities to trusts, central government or private business through PFI, outsourcing, or privatisation. This simply places more barriers in the way of 'joined-up' provision of local cultural support. Whether provided through housing, social work, community work, arts development, halls, libraries and information, and/or schools - these services are community resources and should be accountable to service users. A plethora of employers/owners can only provide barriers to partnership. Conclusions UNISON is genuinely excited about the potential for Scotland's cultural life provided by this initial consultation. It is clear that much discussion must take place. and this response highlights key parts of UNISON's approach: In short - The themes
of UNISON's Serving Scotland campaign.
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The Community - central to success
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