Commons Sense

House of Commons · Westminster Hall

Edinburgh Festivals: Cultural and Economic Contribution

08 October 2024 · 10 other contributors · 9,713 words

Opened by Chris Murray Lab Edinburgh East and Musselburgh

Responding minister: Chris Bryant

EconomyBrexitCulture, Media & Sport

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Chris Murray raised concerns about edinburgh festivals: cultural and economic contribution in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.

Key points

  • The MP is concerned about the economic instability faced by Edinburgh festivals due to Brexit uncertainty and the cost of living crisis.
  • The MP highlights the festivals' unique cultural significance and their contribution of 400 million to the economy, supporting 800 local businesses.
  • The MP requests the Government to explore multi-annual budgeting and to address visa processes for artists and funding controversies.

Key requests to Government

The MP asks the Government to explore multi-annual budgeting to provide economic stability for the arts sector, to work constructively with the Scottish Government on cultural policies, and to address cumbersome visa processes. He also requests support in navigating funding controversies and ensuring crisis management for cultural events.

How the debate unfolded

MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said.

Opened the debate

Chris Murray Lab Edinburgh East and Musselburgh

The MP is concerned about the challenges faced by Edinburgh festivals, including economic instability due to factors such as Brexit uncertainty and a cost of living crisis. He highlights the unique cultural significance of the festivals and their role in attracting millions of visitors annually, contributing £400 million to the economy and supporting 800 local businesses. The MP also mentions issues related to cross-UK engagement, visa processes for artists, and potential funding crises like that faced by the Edinburgh book festival.

Other contributors (10)
  • Christine Jardine Lib Dem Edinburgh West

    Congratulates the hon. Member for Edinburgh East and Musselburgh on securing the debate, sharing personal experiences with the festival. Discusses the economic benefits of £400 million to Edinburgh and £300 million to Scotland, advocating for tax reliefs and financial support for small businesses involved in the festivals. Stressed the soft power aspect of Edinburgh festivals, mentioned accommodation costs in relation to short lets.

  • Clive Efford Lab Eltham

    Order. I remind Members that they should stand if they intend to contribute to a debate.

  • Arthur SNP Edinburgh South West

    Discussed quieter parts of the year and suggested making sure benefits accrue to less popular areas.

  • Jim Shannon DUP Strangford

    Jim Shannon highlighted the cultural and economic significance of festivals in Edinburgh, drawing parallels with events in his Strangford constituency. He mentioned various local festivals such as the kite festival, Portaferry gala, Comber Earlies, and jazz Sundays at Mount Stewart. Shannon stressed the importance of comedy festivals for Northern Ireland's economy and community cohesion. He praised North Down's Open House music and arts festival for its economic impact on Bangor and called for government support to help local councils and the Northern Ireland Assembly celebrate culture across the UK. Highlighted Northern Ireland performers' opportunities at Edinburgh festivals.

  • Jonathan Davies Lab Mid Derbyshire

    Congratulates the hon. Member for Edinburgh East and Musselburgh on securing the debate, highlighting the economic and cultural significance of the Edinburgh festivals. Emphasises that creative industries contribute about £126 billion to the UK economy annually and employ 2.4 million people. Raises concerns over a 50% decline in arts GCSE entries since 2010 and calls for more opportunities for young people to benefit from creative education. Davies made a brief intervention, responding to Evans' joke about Mark Simmons's punchline with 'In the dusk'. Discussed other festivals and the importance of creative education for children.

  • Luke Evans Con Hinckley and Bosworth

    He praised the Edinburgh festivals for their economic impact, mentioning that they issued over 2.6 million tickets in a year, registered more than 3,746 shows from over 60 different countries, and generated £407 million in economic impact in 2022. Evans also inquired about the proposed visitor levy in Scotland and its potential benefits for Edinburgh festivals.

  • Max Wilkinson Lib Dem Cheltenham

    Emphasised the importance of cultural festivals in showcasing British talent and fostering a thriving democracy. Highlighted that Edinburgh's festival contributes £400 million to Edinburgh itself, with wider impacts on Scotland and the UK. Raised concerns about funding pressures faced by the Cheltenham Literature Festival despite high ticket sales and successful engagement of 23,000 children annually in reading programmes. Discussed the Cheltenham festival and asked about tax reliefs and creative industries in the Budget.

  • Patricia Ferguson Lab Glasgow West

    Ferguson honoured Richard Demarco, a homegrown artist who has attended every Edinburgh festival since its inception in 1947. She mentioned his international influence and his role in challenging the commercial focus of the Fringe, emphasizing the 'soft power' of arts for promoting cultural understanding. Highlighted the importance of Edinburgh being a UNESCO city of literature, discussed Walter Scott and literary figures from Edinburgh.

  • Scott Arthur Lab Edinburgh South West

    Scott Arthur highlighted Edinburgh's cultural and economic importance, mentioning organisations like Big Noise Wester Hailes and the Filmhouse. He welcomed the progress on the Dunard Centre and Royal High School redevelopment, emphasising inclusivity in staffing and audience representation. Arthur also discussed the need for legislation to support workers and the benefits of extending tourism beyond peak season.

  • Tracy Gilbert Lab Edinburgh North and Leith

    She highlighted the economic impact of the Edinburgh festivals, noting that between 2010 and 2022, visitor spending on accommodation increased from 37% to 51%, while spending on transport decreased from £11.4 million to £4.1 million in 2022. She praised community arts projects such as the new Dunard music centre and North Edinburgh Arts for promoting local talent and accessibility. Raised concerns about accommodation costs during festival times.

Government Response

Chris Bryant

Praised Shona McCarthy's work, noted the importance of economic stability for arts organisations through multi-annual financial planning, emphasized cross-UK engagement to avoid cultural battles, discussed visa issues for performers, mentioned crisis support needs for arts organisations, addressed short lets legislation and its impact in Scotland, highlighted the need for creative education, and discussed accommodation costs in relation to dynamic pricing.

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