Art Advocacy Brief #1
Welcome to SCAN’s monthly Art Advocacy Brief: sharing news in politics, policy work, funding and research to ensure that Scotland’s visual art community is informed about the wider context we work in and issues directly affecting us.
SCAN is here to stand up for the cultural, social and economic value of contemporary art – and for the people who create it. In our Art Advocacy Brief we’ll also share more about our team’s behind-the-scenes work with key decision-makers, as well as our contributions to national conversations.
Regional Arts Provision Continues to be at Risk
Local communities around Scotland continue to face challenges in accessing culture. In November/December 2025, Dundee City Council carried out public consultation which included seeking feedback on a range of potential savings options to help set a balanced budget. Many of the city’s much loved cultural organisations, community groups, youth projects, third-sector support, regeneration teams, and local amenities were once again facing potential cuts for a second year in a row.
Now arts organisations and initiatives in the Outer Hebrides may be facing similar challenges. On Friday 16 January, SCAN member An Lanntair – a hub for creativity and the arts in the region – called for members of the public to take part in the current Comhairle nan Eilean Siar (CnES) local authority budget survey. From April 2026, CnES has indicated cuts to funding for arts and cultural organisations across the islands, putting An Lanntair and other organisations in real danger. Cuts to the arts would be devastating, affecting far more than exhibitions and other cultural events: they would impact education, language, wellbeing, local jobs, economic development, and community life across the Western Isles.
David Green, Chairperson of An Lanntair said: “This process should have a wider scope than just CnES services delivered at its own hand. Benefits to economic development, education, language and culture are delivered by organisations that CnES has supported hitherto. Fund organisations that make life in the islands more attractive to residents and visitors and enhance the educational experience of young people. Support HebCelt Festival, An Lanntair, Taigh Chearsabhagh Museum and Arts Centre, for example. They make a little CnES funding go a very long way.”
Make your voice heard: the CnES Survey closes: 5pm, Friday 23 January 2026
If you may be affected by these cuts, you can also contact your local MSP and councillors via the They Work For You website.
Scottish Government Budget 2026/27
The Scottish Government continues to follow through on its commitment to invest an additional £100 million in culture by 2028/29. The Budget for 2026/27 was announced on 13 January 2026 by Shona Robinson, Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government.
Culture Counts noted that this included a headline uplift of £24.1m which takes the Scottish Government’s total planned expenditure on culture through the Constitution, External Affairs and Culture portfolio to £338.6m. This follows previous increases of £48mil in 25-26 and £1.6mil in 24-25. A detailed breakdown of culture budget allocations for 26-27 is available on Culture Counts website.
Creative Scotland welcomed the positive news of a further uplift. In 2026/27, Creative Scotland’s Grant-in-Aid budget from the Scottish Government will be at least £100.7m, up from £89m in the current year. They have identified that this includes the additional £20m to increase support to the Multi-Year Funding programme in its second year, as planned; an additional £0.8m for Screen Scotland; and an additional £225k for YMI, with further elements of the budget to be confirmed.
SCAN alongside others in the sector acknowledge that whilst the further cultural investment is overall positive, we continue to be concerned about the lack of direct investment in individual artists, cultural freelancers and grassroots and community initiatives. Culture Counts note that in recent years, the total funding available through Creative Scotland’s Open Funds for Individuals and Organisations has not risen with in line with demand or inflation, as the real terms value of National Lottery proceeds available to support these funds has declined.
The recent research into the annual earnings of UK visual artists shows a take home a median annual salary of only £12,500 a year, a 40% decrease since 2010 (The UK Visual Artists’ Earnings and Contracts Report 2024, produced by DACS with the University of Glasgow). Many cultural freelancers on lower tax brackets may then welcome the Budget news that the Basic and Intermediate rate thresholds have been raised by more than inflation.
SCAN takes Visual Art to Holyrood
Across three days in February, SCAN will be championing the vital role that artists and arts organisations play in our neighbourhoods and communities. The SCAN team will be sharing case studies drawn from across our membership directly with MSPs in the Garden Lobby on 3 to 5 February 2026.
Looking to the Scottish Parliament Elections in May 2026, we have also released our The Future is Art campaign which calls on all Scottish political parties to secure the future of Scotland’s creative heart, from classrooms to communities.
Live Consultations
Arts Infopoint UK is gathering information and insights from the UK and European arts and culture sector around current UK/EU engagement. Specifically the impact of the UK’s non-membership of EU funding programmes, changes to artist mobility, and other barriers or opportunities arising from the UK’s exit from the EU.
Survey closes 30 January.
Image: SCAN with Emma Roddick MSP at Inverness Creative Academy, photography by Alexander Williamson