Society of Authors ‘urges’ Creative Scotland and Scottish government to reconsider funding closure

Authors Mary Paulson-Ellis and Helen Sedgwick gave the complying with statement on behalf of the SoA: “We are deeply worried by the statement previously today of the unexpected closure of the Open Fund for People, and are shocked that this has actually occurred without examination with writers and their agents, and without any forewarning.

“The Scottish Spending plan remains to encounter substantial challenges. We are thinking about the ramifications of the actions introduced by the Chancellor on 29th July for our public financial resources, and the following steps required by the Scottish government.”

When the news of the closure was revealed, Iain Munro, president of Creative Scotland, claimed: “The level of uncertainty regarding the provision of grant-in-aid spending plans from the Scottish government is developing vital problems for the continuous support we can offer to Scotland’s culture field. This choice to shut the Open Fund for People is not one we would certainly have wanted to take however is inevitable without the financing from the Scottish federal government being offered.

Consequently the SoA claimed it “prompts “Creative Scotland and the Scottish government to reevaluate this decision” and “is functioning carefully with partners at the Scottish Trades Union Congress to obtain clarity from Scottish federal government and Innovative Scotland agents over this closure, and over their future funding plans for the field”.

“Like everybody working in Scotland’s society and imaginative field, we recognize the extreme pressures on public financial resources, but want to see longer-term budget plan certainty from the Scottish federal government, consisting of the added ₤ 100m introduced in October 2023, details of which have yet to arise.”

When lots of authors are especially influenced by the price of living and fewer opportunities, the information comes at a time. “The Culture of Authors is extremely worried regarding the impact this decision will have on writers for whom making money has never ever been harder. In 2022, ALCS reported that the mean earning for writers was ₤ 7,000– just over a 3rd of the living wage,” the organisation said.

The writers’ collective published a statement on its internet site that checks out: “The Open Fund is just one of Innovative Scotland’s crucial funding programmes, and among the few remaining resources for artists, consisting of authors, to seek direct financing to full projects. Its spending plan was reinstated in October 2023, having been reduced earlier that year, when the very first minister at the time, Humza Yousaf, promised an additional ₤ 100m for the arts industry by 2028– a pledge commonly commemorated in the market but which is yet to be materialised.”

“Creative Scotland and the Scottish government must show their dedication to supporting the arts and ensuring they are accessible to every person by renewing the fund, to make sure that authors are not deprived of this essential lifeline.”