Equity Calls Calls On UK Government to 'Live Up' To Jennie Lee's Groundbreaking 'Policy For The Arts'

On the 60th anniversary of the publication of ‘A Policy for the Arts' (Tuesday 25 February 2025), Equity has called on the UK government to live up to the ambitions laid out in the groundbreaking whitepaper.

‘A Policy for the Arts – First Steps' was published on 25 February 1965, authored by then-Minister for the Arts, Jennie Lee. Lee set out a case for the arts which included the need for arts education, working class participation, support for young artists, decent funding, regional equality, well maintained local venues and building a sense of pride in the arts. She argued that the government should ensure that art was both created by and enjoyed by the working class. To Lee, the arts were something that a government should fight for and fund, just as previous Labour governments had fought for health and education provisions that had improved the lives of ordinary people.

You can read more about ‘A Policy for the Arts' here.

Commenting, Equity General Secretary Paul W Fleming says:

"60 years ago today, Jennie Lee's pioneering White Paper set out an ambitious, socialist vision ‘to bring the best of the arts within reach of a wider public'.

“Equity today celebrates the anniversary of this bold plan for our industries. But in doing so, we strive to see much more progress made towards its ambitions for more government support for artists, regionalisation of arts production, and better funding for our industries.

“UK investment in the arts and entertainment still falls well short of the European average of 0.5% GDP spending on the arts. If the Government is serious about continuing Jennie Lee's vision by nurturing these growth sectors, they must set out a roadmap to compete with our European neighbours."