Imelda Staunton and Olivia Colman have called on all political parties to urgently invest in the arts as research by Equity suggested funding in the UK has dropped by 16% since 2017.
The research, commissioned by the performing arts union and carried out by the Autonomy Institute, drew on funding data from Arts Council England, the Arts Council of Wales, the Arts Council of Northern Ireland and Creative Scotland over the past decade.
Since 2017, average annual real-terms funding in England dropped by 11%, in Wales 30%, and in Northern Ireland 16%, according to the figures. It increased in Scotland by 2%.
Staunton said: “We’re living in a golden age of drama, especially on streaming platforms, thanks to the exceptional ability of the UK arts workforce to bring world-class storytelling to global audiences.
“But too many places in the UK have been left without arts funding, depriving audiences and performers alike.”
The Bafta and Olivier award-winning actor, who has starred in the likes of Vera Drake, Harry Potter and The Crown, added: “With proper funding, there is no limit to the potential for the arts to inspire and entertain, encouraging both human creativity and economic benefits.
“I want to see all parties promising much more on the arts. They are not just a ‘nice to have’, they are essential to the thriving, confident country we all want to live in.”
Equity said Battersea has seen a 74% cut in its average annual real-terms funding, Arundel 42%, Halifax 50%, Darlington 33%, and Birkenhead 92%. Edinburgh West has seen a 68% cut to average annual real-terms funding, and Rishi Sunak’s constituency of Richmond and Northallerton a 10% cut.
Colman, an Oscar- and Bafta-winner known for roles in The Favourite, Peep Show and The Crown, said the research showed “how government funding for the arts has been falling” for years.
She said it was “shocking” to see how the arts had been neglected, despite its “huge contribution” to the UK’s standing in the world and public life.
“A lack of government funding increasingly means that only the wealthy can afford a ticket to the show, or to build a career working in the industry. Only some people are able to share in the stories being told,” she said.
“Whoever wins the coming election must urgently bring forward plans to invest in the arts and entertainment here. This is just common sense.”
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The data was retrieved through freedom of information requests submitted to every national funding body in the UK. Parliamentary constituencies were updated to match the current constituencies and adjusted for inflation.
Autonomy computed the figures via linear regression, to adjust for spikes in funding and allow them to map trends at a constituency level over time.
The research is part of Equity’s campaign to Stop the Cuts and Save the Arts, which calls on union members to contact their local parliamentary candidates to ask them to commit to increasing arts funding.
Among Equity’s five policy demands is an increase of UK arts and entertainment funding to 0.5% of GDP, which they say brings the UK in line with the European average.
They are also asking for an end to the legal exemption that allows casting directories to charge upfront fees to performing artists; a reform of universal credit to provide freelancers with the same protections as the employed; a requirement that all publicly funded work be produced on Equity agreements; and an extension to trade union-bargained royalties to areas like video games and TV commercials.
Paul W Fleming, Equity’s general secretary, said: “Equity’s members have faced central government austerity in the arts and entertainment industries for 20 years under governments of every shade.
“We need a government which supports our members, and all working people, to get their fair share of the profits they create. There are no creative industries without its workforce. It’s time they were empowered and valued as much by Westminster as they are by audiences across the globe.”