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HC 279 - Work of Arts Council England

Author: Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Culture, Media and Sport Committee

Publisher: The Stationery Office

Published: 2014

Total Pages: 56

ISBN-13: 0215078624

Arts Council England plays a vital role in safeguarding, consolidating and building the nation's cultural infrastructure and enhancing its quality of life. It supports a range of activities across the arts, museums and libraries. Support for the arts comes principally through the distribution of public money, either grant in aid from the tax payer or proceeds from National Lottery ticket sales. Since 2010, the Arts Council has seen its grant in aid fall by a third, a situation that hasprompted cuts in staff numbers and difficult decisions about where to target support. While it is essential to acknowledge the prevailing economic climate, the Committee would be disappointed if the Arts Council saw any further fall in its grant in aid. There remains a clear funding imbalance in favour of London at the expense of tax payers and lottery players in other parts of the country. The Arts Council is well-placed to restore some balance. Also the ArtsCouncil needs to redouble its already significant efforts at brokering cultural partnerships involving businesses, local authorities, local enterprise partnerships, universities and international organisations, particularly within the EU, which might provide additional funding sources.

HC 614 - Tourism

Author: Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Culture, Media, and Sport Committee

Publisher: The Stationery Office

Published: 2015-03-26

Total Pages: 57

ISBN-13: 0215084578

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The tourism sector, a massive conglomeration of diverse businesses and organisations, contributes billions of pounds to the British economy and sustains millions of jobs. Yet its central role in the economic activity and life of the country is not given sufficient recognition. Too often, Government fails to factor tourism into its wider decision-making. The Committee have heard convincing evidence that the sub-national structures for supporting tourism in England were damaged by the abolition of the Regional Development Agencies without putting in place adequate arrangements for tourism promotion. With sufficient resources, the Committee believes VisitEngland is well placed to move more decisively into the organisational vacuum left by the abolition of the Regional Development Agencies and the Regional Tourist Boards. It could better coordinate the disparate efforts of some 200 local Destination Management Organisations, focusing its attention on those with most promise of developing a substantial tourism base. It could be an even better source of advice and training to the many small businesses that typify much of the tourism industry. Working with the National Coastal Tourism Academy in identifying and promulgating best practice, VisitEngland could begin the process of turning round those seaside resorts that have lost their way. The Academy is funded by the Coastal Communities Fund - a source of income for which the Committee shares the Government's enthusiasm.

HC 615 - Society Lotteries

Author: Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Culture, Media, and Sport Committee

Publisher: The Stationery Office

Published: 2015-03-25

Total Pages: 45

ISBN-13: 021508442X

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Society lotteries are intended to be primarily a means of raising money for charities and other good causes. The vast majority are small, often local, and raise sums of money that, though not substantial, are vital for the work of the organisations they support. The Gambling Act 2005 relaxed some of the restrictions on such lotteries. This was not a cause of concern until the recent launch of some larger, 'umbrella' lotteries, advertised nationally, run by commercial operations and giving close to the statutory minimum percentage of the proceeds of ticket sales to the good causes they supported. These are controversial in part because they are alleged to stretch the definition of a society lottery as primarily intended to raise money for good causes, and in part because they are seen by some as direct competitors to the National Lottery. As a result, there have been calls for restrictions to be imposed on large society lotteries, while others have suggested the success of the umbrella lotteries could be replicated elsewhere if regulations on society lotteries were relaxed. The Committee has been guided in its approach by the principle that the regulatory regime governing society lotteries should encourage the maximum return to good causes and, provided that the lottery remains focused on its primary purpose, the licensing regime should be light, including continued exemption from gambling and lottery taxes. Accordingly, the Committee recommends greater differentiation between the regulations applied to the great majority of lotteries, which are small and local, and those applied to larger ones, especially those run on behalf of the good causes by commercial organisations, which tend to return smaller proportions of their funds to the charity than single-cause lotteries.