UK: Arts Figures Criticise Plan To Cut University Funding For Creative Subjects

Singer Jarvis Cocker, actor Maxine Peake and author Bernardine Evaristo are among those to have criticised a plan to cut government funding for arts subjects at universities by almost 50%.

Arts courses are not among the official “strategic priorities”, with a cut from £36m to £19m proposed next year.

The Department for Education said the reduction would only affect “a small proportion” of universities’ income.

But Cocker argued the “astounding” move would hit poorer students hardest.

Peake, Evaristo and others have lent their support to a campaign launched by the Public Campaign for the Arts, which is urging Education Secretary Gavin Williamson to rethink his strategy.

The government has said subjects like music, dance, drama and performing arts, art and design, media studies and archaeology are “not among its strategic priorities”, according to the Office for Students, which distributes government funding to universities.

Mr Williamson said he would “potentially seek further reductions” to central funding for such courses in future years.

The government has asked for the money to be redirected to “subjects that support the NHS and wider healthcare policy, high-cost STEM [science, technology, engineering and mathematics] subjects and/or specific labour market needs”.

That is needed to “support the skills this country needs to build back better”, the Department for Education said.