Independent Review of Creative Scotland

Summary

In September 2024 the Scottish Government announced a Review of Creative Scotland as part of the Programme for Government. The aims of the Review were to consider whether the remit and functions of Creative Scotland remain relevant, evaluate how Creative Scotland delivers its functions, and assess how appropriately and effectively Creative Scotland uses and distributes funding.

Having considered the views of over 450 contributors and both published and unpublished papers, the Chair of the Review, Angela Leitch, concludes that, whilst Creative Scotland’s remit remains relevant, improvements are needed to fulfil its remit and ensure that support is aligned with the breadth of the sector’s needs.

Several common topics emerged during the Review process.

There was general agreement that Creative Scotland has provided significant support to the culture sector over the past 15 years and has sought to provide stability during a period of austerity. Of particular note was Creative Scotland’s ability to quickly pivot to support the sector during the COVID-19 pandemic. There was also a general view that with the Scottish Government’s commitment of additional funding for the culture sector and Creative Scotland’s new Multi-Year Funding programme there is a need for Creative Scotland to set out how it plans to transform the organisation to meet the needs of a dynamic sector.

There was general acknowledgement that the organisation is expected to fulfil the four roles of advocacy, developer, funder and influencer but most see Creative Scotland primarily as a funder. There was widespread agreement that funding does not currently match the ambition of the sector and that Creative Scotland needs to play a key role in setting clear priorities and ensure the efficient distribution of funding both from the Scottish Government and the National Lottery, as well as supporting the sector in sourcing other funding streams. There was also a need for stronger development support and more impactful advocacy.

While there must be effective scrutiny of the use of public money and a demonstration of fair and robust processes, it was reported that Creative Scotland has become too bureaucratic and that there should be a more proportionate approach taken to funding decisions. Despite onerous processes, there was insufficient evidence of timely monitoring, or of strategic decision-making and advocacy being based on data from the whole sector.

Creative Scotland should build on its published Strategic Framework and annual plan to develop a long-term vision. Its strategic aims should be aligned with a three-to-five-year financial plan.

The value of art form knowledge in the organisation was frequently mentioned. There was a perception that Creative Scotland is under-resourced in areas that are crucial to further development of the sector. Staff were praised for being highly committed yet Creative Scotland appears distant and impersonal to many in the sector. More relationship-based roles, regional input and cooperation with others would strengthen delivery for the whole sector.

The recommendations in the report necessarily focus on where improvements are required. It is important to recognise that, whilst change is needed, there is widespread agreement that Creative Scotland holds considerable expertise and insight, and its support is valued by the sector.