Leisure sector organisations have issued a mixed response to the chancellor's Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR) published yesterday (20 October).
George Osborne announced a 25 per cent cut in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) budget, which will run over the course of the review period to 2014-15.
George Osborne announced a 25 per cent cut in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) budget, which will run over the course of the review period to 2014-15.
Culture secretary Jeremy Hunt insisted it was a 'good settlement' and will help enable the government to "protect our sporting and cultural core for the long term". Hunt indicated that a 41 per cent cut in administrative costs is to help prioritise front-line public services, while reiterating plans to provide an additional £150m of Lottery funding after 2012.
However, DCMS budget cuts are set to have a knock-on effect as organisations funded by the department face up to overall cuts of at least 28 per cent to their respective budgets.
Arts: Arts Council England (ACE) has warned that a 29.6 per cent cut to its budget will "inevitably" have consequences for the UK's cultural industry.
ACE chief executive Alan Davey said: "[We] will seek to minimise the effect of any cuts to the portfolio of arts organisations we regularly fund and will consider the overall position when it meets on 25 October.
Museums and Heritage: English Heritage has said that it is "disappointed" that it will face a 32 per cent reduction in grant funding from the government - more than the DCMS' overall cut of 25 per cent.
Baroness Andrews, chair of English Heritage, said: "The 32 per cent cut to English Heritage's grant from government will be exceptionally challenging to manage after years of funding decline - £130m real-term cuts over 13 years. "It will require us to make some tough decisions. We will work with the Heritage Lottery Fund to ensure there is no overlap or duplication in the services we provide."
Elsewhere, the National Heritage Memorial Fund (NHMF) has welcomed the news that the government will contribute £20m in grant-in-aid funding over the course of the review period. NHMF chair Dame Jenny Abramsky said: "We are pleased that in difficult circumstances the important role of the National Heritage Memorial Fund - the emergency fund to save our most important and precious heritage - has been recognised.
"Of course, it is disappointing that this is less than the grant in aid since 2007 of £10m per year, but, in these difficult times, we will continue to do our utmost to play a vital part in saving great heritage right across the UK."
Museums Association (MA) president Vanessa Trevelyan said the 15 per cent cuts to Renaissance and national museums were not as bad as first feared. Trevelyan admitted that regional museums could be worst affected by local authority spending cuts, while plans to reduce administration costs "shows a lack of understanding".
However, the move to retain free entry at museums and galleries has not been universally welcomed, with the British Association of Leisure Parks, Piers and Attractions (BALPPA) criticising the decision.
BALPPA chief executive Martin Barratt said: "I was not surprised to learn that the government will continue to fund free entry to museums, it's in the coalition document and is therefore considered sacrosanct even though it's barmy. We're heading into a period when the effort to market England will rely less on government agencies and more on the initiative of groups of attraction operators."
Tourism: National tourism agency VisitBritain faces one of the largest overall budget cuts within the DCMS' remit, with a 34 per cent reduction confirmed following the CSR. VisitBritain chair Christopher Rodrigues said the agency would examine its operations in order to keep it's Olympic strategy on course and look to slash overheads. Rodrigues said: "This government understands the value VisitBritain brings to Britain's tourism industry, but this is tough love. VisitBritain will respond to the settlement by further cutting overheads and reducing its physical network overseas to retain as much money as possible for our global marketing effort."
However, Tourism Alliance chair Ken Robinson said the cuts went against Prime Minister David Cameron's recent pledge to promote the UK's tourism industry. Robinson said: "With DCMS saying that all sectors must share the pain, we expected cuts. We know that VisitBritain and VisitEngland will respond, using every pound wisely.
"However, the Treasury's attitude to tourism, not recognising that investment in the sector brings immediate and high returns to Britain, is short sighted."
Training: One of Osborne's signature pledges within the CSR is the news that at least 75,000 apprenticeship places are to be created each year by 2014.
Training: One of Osborne's signature pledges within the CSR is the news that at least 75,000 apprenticeship places are to be created each year by 2014.
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