We're worth four times what you pay for us, British arts leaders tell Government

The British arts community has hit back at government demands to focus on economics and profitability by producing a report showing it offers the country blockbuster profits on the back of arthouse funding, the Independent reported.


Just weeks after the Culture Secretary Maria Miller challenged the arts to "hammer home the value of culture to our economy", the Arts Council has published a 113-page dossier showing it receives less than 0.1 per cent of government spending but produces more than four times that for the country's gross domestic product.


The sector also generates more per pound invested "than the health, wholesale and retail, and professional and business services sectors", according to the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) which compiled the study for the Arts Council. At least £856m of spending by tourists visiting the UK can also be attributed directly to arts and culture. If the outputs of music, film and theatre can be judged not by quality of entertainment but by the ability to make for convincing black-and-white documentation, they have received the dry, statistical equivalent of five-star reviews.


Sir Peter Bazalgette, the new chair of the council, believes the figures could provide Ms Miller with crucial ammunition to convince her cabinet colleagues to protect funding for the arts at next month's spending review.


The report claims to provide the "first comprehensive analysis" of the value of arts and culture to Britain.


It ranges from the arts' contribution to the economy, the effect on tourism and the job market to the "vitally important" role that public funding plays in creating global hits such as the stage production of War Horse, pictured above, and the support for the next superstar film directors such as Danny Boyle.


Ms Miller had called on the arts to "demonstrate the healthy dividends that our investment continues to pay", and Sir Peter believes the report proves concrete evidence of the returns from public funding.


He said: "There are some people who are convinced by the intrinsic value of the arts, but unconvinced by the economic benefits. This report is an important part of pointing those out. Our hope is we can get the best possible settlement for the arts in the summer."


Arts and culture make an "impressive" contribution to the UK economy, the body said, making up 0.4 per cent of gross domestic product despite less than 0.1 per cent of government spending. The CEBR report found that turnover from the arts and culture was £12.4bn in 2011, slightly down on its peak three years earlier, and makes up 0.45 per cent of total UK employment, equivalent to about 110,600 full time positions. The sector also paid £1.7bn in tax in 2010-11.