The cultural sector is facing disaster, says Choudhury – The NEN – North Edinburgh News

Foysol Choudhury, Member of the Scottish Parliament for the Lothians and Shadow Labour Culture Secretary, is pressing the Scottish Government to take immediate action in response to reports of comments by Francesca Hegyi, Chief Executive of the Edinburgh International Festival, that Scotland’s cultural sector could face a “house of cards collapsing”.

Choudhury MP joined Ms Hegyi in calling on the Scottish Government to save Scotland’s world-famous cultural sector and urgently deliver the £100 million pledged by the Government last year.

Foysol Choudhury and Scottish Labor colleagues are calling for an urgent crisis summit on festivals – and Ms Hegya’s request appears now to be echoed in her calls for a crisis summit on the future of arts funding in Scotland.

MP Choudhury said: “Francesca Hegya’s comments expose the scale of the crisis in our cultural sector – the Scottish Government must take her concerns into account.

“I have been calling for an urgent festivals crisis summit and asking questions in the Scottish Parliament on the issue, as well as meeting with relevant stakeholders to try and secure action to save our cultural sector before it is too late.

“It is clear that Scotland’s cultural sector is facing enormous pressure. Cultural organizations are demanding support, and meeting places and festivals are at risk.

“Despite this, the Scottish Government still refuses to listen to my appeal and the Scottish Labor Party’s call for a crisis summit on festival funding.

“We need to save our world-famous cultural sector, which contributes so much to our creative economy and also has a huge positive impact on other industries such as tourism and hospitality.

“We now need concrete action in the form of a summit on the festival crisis.”

Some cultural organizations also complain of “withheld” funding, which provides little scope for development. In response, Mr Choudhury insisted on long-term, sufficient funding to enable the cultural sector to truly thrive.

According to some reports, Edinburgh festivals attract a similar number of spectators to the FIFA World Cup, which takes years to prepare for. However, Mr Choudhury says it is vital that Scotland’s cultural sector is given the same level of economic stability and preparation time to maintain its status as a world-class cultural center.

Mr Choudhury said he and his colleagues would continue to press the Scottish Government on these issues and take action to protect Scotland’s cultural sector.