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‘Central belt bias’ as Tayside and Fife ignored for culture jobs

Tess White MSP wants more regional jobs.
Tess White MSP wants more regional jobs.

Scotland’s arts agency is being accused of central belt bias as new figures show no one was hired beyond Glasgow and Edinburgh in the past eight years.

Creative Scotland is part funded by the government and supports the arts, screen and other creative industries “across all parts of Scotland”.

Between 2014 and 2022 it did not hire anyone outside of the central belt.

But the agency has hired 155 people in Edinburgh and 12 in Glasgow.

No one was hired beyond the capital since 2018.

Scottish Conservatives say the government is missing out on talent by ignoring regions such as Perth and Kinross, Fife, Dundee, and Angus.

Bias ‘locks in inequality’

Tess White, Conservative MSP for the North East, said Edinburgh is not the “be all and end all” for jobs.

“That locks in inequality,” she said.

“It’s incredibly disappointing – and so like the SNP Scottish Government – to be so inward-looking when it comes to hiring personnel.

“The fact they aren’t looking north of the Forth, never mind the Tay, to promote culture is deeply frustrating.

“A chance is going begging to develop the future talents of film, stage and page across Tayside and Fife.”

She said it is would be an “unforgivable failure” if the government doesn’t build on other success such as the V&A in Dundee.

She is asking Culture Secretary Angus Robertson to commit to a “sea change” in the “central belt first attitude” in developing culture in Scotland.

We asked Creative Scotland and the Scottish Government for comment.

Creative funding goes across Scotland

Creative Scotland said the impact of its work goes across the whole of Scotland, not just Edinburgh and Glasgow.

A spokeswoman said: “We work in partnership with local authorities, trusts, networks, film offices and others to embed creativity and culture in communities and ensure locally distinctive work is supported, valued and encouraged.

“In 2020-21, Creative Scotland awarded almost £94 million to over 1,500 recipients across all parts of Scotland.

“This is alongside £150m in emergency funding to 18,000 recipients across the country in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

“These awards support many employment opportunities for artists, creative practitioners, producers, event organisers and administrators across Scotland, including over 3,500 jobs supported in 2020-21 through our regular funding programme alone.”

A spokesman for the Scottish Government added: “The Scottish Government provides funding to Creative Scotland who distribute funds across Scotland.

“Creative Scotland’s regularly funded organisations, for example, are spread across 21 local authority areas with more than 80% of the organisations operating beyond their base location.

“Organisations in receipt of the emergency Covid-19 support from Creative Scotland between 2020 and September 2021 were based in 23 local authorities.”