A Culture Act for Scotland
Frequently Asked Questions
We’ve put together this resource answering some common questions about A Culture Act for Scotland. For more detail, you can also:
Why have you chosen to focus on A Culture Act?
The opportunity of a Scottish election in May 2026 gives us a particular moment and focus to champion the long-term future of the culture sector. The past few years have been a period of significant turbulence, illustrating how fragile the landscape is for culture, and the sector’s vulnerability to external economic factors. Following the recent commitment to invest £100m in Culture by 28/29, there is a need now to build on the work begun by the Culture Strategy to create a coherent and embedded policy approach to culture, while protecting this investment for the long term.
What would be the benefits of A Culture Act?
The benefits of dedicated cultural legislation are outlined in this briefing. Its core impact would be to ensure connection between culture, and other areas of public policy. However, it is important to note the additional benefits that could be wrought by both its development and implementation. Crucially, securing political commitment to the proposal opens the door to wide-ranging conversations to embed and build-upon recent investment decisions in the culture sector, and to focus on the opportunities and possibilities (not just the costs) of investment in culture. The ask itself is concise, clearly ambitious, and acts as a starting point for further development with input from all stakeholders.
Does this replace more specific asks, such as for 1% of Government expenditure to be invested in culture?
Investment will always be a vital part of what it takes to support a thriving, sustainable culture sector. The call for Scotland to meet the European average of 1% of government investment in culture (from a current position of around 0.86%) has long been championed by Culture Counts, and we are continuing to do so. A Culture Act recognises the current national economic context, and gives us a wider framework in which to position conversations about cultural investment, and to consider this alongside other mechanisms for supporting the sector over the long term.
Would this ask take resources away from health, education etc?
One of the major possibilities of this ask is to create much more connectivity between culture and other policy areas. We already know that culture has an important role to play in addressing health, wellbeing and social care, and is a vital part of educational provision (for children and adults). This Act is an opportunity to more formally connect culture into these wider parts of our lives and communities, and to create more opportunities for collaborative, innovative and partnership-based ways of working.
How would a Culture Act be usefully locally / on the doorsteps / in my community?
Culture is part of all of Scotland’s places and people. It’s in our schools, libraries, events and festivals, our natural environment, community groups, business innovation and international reputation. A Culture Act is an opportunity to make sure that everyone in Scotland has a fair access to participate in culture, to see their experiences represented in our national story, and to access creative opportunities whoever and wherever they are. A Culture Act would make cultural opportunities more equitable, and also place them on an equal footing with other local services. This would protect local venues, heritage sites, libraries and festivals, would safeguard local jobs, and would help support the long-term future of healthy, vibrant and creatively thriving communities.
What would this mean for Local Authorities and other public bodies?
In making this ask, we’re delighted to partner with Community Leisure UK, who represent charitable leisure and culture trusts (many of whom deliver services on behalf of local authorities).
Through close discussions with CLUK and their members, it is clear that A Culture Act is an opportunity to recognise how interconnected the whole cultural ecosystem is, and to recognise the importance of services provided by local authorities, libraries, museums and galleries.
Further conversations with COSLA, and other public bodies, reveal the particular challenges faced by Local Authorities and the importance of protecting and safeguarding cultural services, that they are recognised as vital parts of our community lives, and that their important impacts for society are considered on a long-term basis.
What would the benefit of A Culture Act be for freelancers and individual artists?
There’s no art without artists, and there would be no culture sector without the freelance workforce that enables almost every aspect of its operation. This work is integral to our creative organisations, venues and international reputation, but is often amongst the most vulnerable to funding cuts, venue closures and exploitative work practices.
Developing a Culture Act aims to create the conditions for culture to be planned and supported more coherently across national, regional and local levels. How that framework is designed could offer a chance to put the realities of freelance work at the centre of policy and planning. It could also provide a route to embed fair pay and conditions within statutory guidance, making these expectations rather than aspirations. It could strengthen recognition of freelancers as integral to the cultural ecosystem, and to building connected, thoughtful and forward-looking societies.
How will the detail of what’s included in a culture act be decided? How can we be sure it would be effective?
Getting a commitment to A Culture Act into the parties’ manifestos as step one in a 5 year+ programme of work to develop, advocate for and refine the detail of legislation. At this stage, we have set out three principles that should guide that process of developing an Act:
Consultative - developed in collaboration with the sector, the public, and partners across related policy areas, and flexibly responding to the differing needs across the diversity of Scotland’s places
Inclusive - centring equity and recognising that opportunities to experience, participate in and create art are not experienced equally by all
Ambitious - celebrating the strength and breadth of Scotland’s cultural sector, and seeking to maximise the opportunities for it to thrive, for everyone, and for the long term