Government - Political Parties

Conservative

The Conservative Party Arts Manifesto 2004 put forward an arts policy that advocated supporting the arts for arts sake and cutting bureaucracy in the DCMS and Arts Council.

General priorities:

- Decrease government interference in culture and have fewer social policy considerations

- Trust artists to excel

- Reduce the amount of Arts Council England (ACE) and DCMS bureaucracy

Training:

- Promote careers in the arts and provide more appropriate education for those wishing to pursue one.

Funding:

- £150m National Acquisitions Fund (Lottery money) for arts and heritage - Free museums to be supported but no penalties for museums that want to charge.

- Consultation into local authority funding of museums and galleries, with recognition that this is an important funding stream.

- Examine the tax system to see whether it can be used to create a 'culture of giving'.

Culture Spokespeople

Jeremy Hunt MP- Shadow Secretary of State for Culture Media and Sport

Hugh Robertson MP, Ed Vaizey MP, Tobias Ellwood MP- Frontbench Team

Lord Howard Of Rising- Peer Shadow Minister for Culture, Media and Sport

Lord Glentoran- Peer Shadow Minister for the Olympics

Conservative Arts Task Force 2007

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