Liberal Democrat Shadow Culture, Media and Sport Secretary, Don Foster has today published new proposals for the arts and creative industries in ‘The Power of Creativity’.

Don Foster wants to see creativity and culture celebrated, as important in their own right and as powerful drivers of our national identity, global standing and affluence. The Liberal Democrats believe the status of the arts and creativity should be raised across society and government.  
 
The proposals published in The Power of Creativity are not formal party policy but set out Don Foster’s vision of how to support the arts and culture and celebrate creativity in this country.
 
The paper includes proposals to:

• Change the way the National Lottery is taxed to generate more money for arts and heritage as well as for the Treasury
• Provide support for new start-ups in the creative industries and enable more businesses to offer internships and apprenticeships
• Offer all our children a more creative education by freeing up the curriculum and increasing the amount of time trainee primary school teachers spend learning about the arts and creativity 
• Make it easier for small venues to host live music events by reducing bureaucracy that restricts small venues
• Make sure the regions and cities outside London do not miss out by reviewing the Arts Council England’s funding structures and creating a new administrative status for national museums that will enable them to be more enterprising and independent
• Open up the Government Art Collection for greater public use

Commenting, Don Foster said:
 
“This set of policies demonstrates our commitment to the arts and creative industries and our belief in their central importance in our society.  Art and culture play a vital role in society and as well as driving regeneration they can be crucial in helping with education and even fighting crime.
 
“We want to move away from restrictive and bureaucratic targets for the arts and instead focus on celebrating our cultural wealth and nurturing new talent.
 
“In particular we want to see a greater emphasis on creativity in our education system. We will bring an end to the stifling impact of Labour’s over-prescriptive curriculum and meaningless targets.
 
“At a time when our creative industries offer the potential for a bright economic future in this country we will invest in creative talent.
 
“The future we want is a country fulfilling its creative potential.”

You can read a complete copy of “The Power of Creativity at: 

http://www.libdems.org.uk/siteFiles/resources/PDF/Power%20of%20Creativity%20print.pdf