Letting Britain’s arts buildings crumble will cost us all

Culture is essential civic infrastructure, but Britain is letting its arts buildings fall into disrepair, writes Southbank Centre chief exec Elaine Bedell Economic growth is at the top of the government’s agenda. So why did one of Britain’s most successful sectors barely get a mention at this year’s party conferences? Our creative industries generate £124bn in economic value and support 2.4m jobs. We’re the world s third-largest creative industries powerhouse, behind only the United States and China. For a relatively small island, we punch spectacularly above our weight. At a time when Britain seems increasingly determined to talk itself down, this should be a source of enormous national confidence. We have the most extraordinary creative talent across the country from homegrown global superstars to some of the most talented technical craftspeople in the world. Instead of taking this for granted, we should be investing in this success: enabling the sector to create more jobs