The cultural sector is a driver of growth and opportunity. Every pound invested circulates through the local economy, supporting jobs, businesses, and local people.

Basingstoke is a suburban town that was named in 2021 in a national study as the third most vulnerable in the country after the pandemic and that large scale arts, entertainment and leisure provision were vital for the recovery of towns like this. 

Anvil Arts’ artistic programme means that the town punches above its weight when it comes to arts and culture. It brings 200,000 people a year into the town centre to the Anvil concert hall and Haymarket theatre and, last year, generated a net economic impact of £7.3 million for the town, equating to £14 return for every £1 of public investment. 

The government’s Industrial Strategy Green Paper identifies the creative industries as one of the eight sectors central to the UK’s economic growth and Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has stated that she wants to give people from all communities access to arts and culture.

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Matthew Cleaver, Chief Executive, Anvil ArtsMatthew Cleaver, Chief Executive, Anvil Arts (Image: Sean DIllow/The Big Cheese Photography)

The range of our programme, and extensive community engagement projects that we provide free to those most in need, align with this ambition.

But, like most regional arts charities, we are struggling with severe financial challenges as a result of increasing costs in every part of our supply chain, from performances to energy bills, whilst at the same time grappling with standstill public investment and the pressing need to renew ageing buildings and equipment. 

The increases in employer national insurance contributions and the national living wage will add significantly to this financial pressure, and these are not costs that we can pass onto our audiences who are also feeling the squeeze themselves, adding further challenge to an environment already stretched dangerously thin.

We welcome the government’s recognition of the importance of the cultural sector’s contribution to education, wellbeing, economic and social renewal, improved mental health and community building. However, the foundations of the cultural economy need fixing if this contribution is to flourish as much as it should.

Matthew Cleaver,

Chief Executive, Anvil Arts

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