Council spending on libraries, culture and tourism has been reduced by almost £500m since the onset of austerity, new research shows.
Analysis by the County Councils Network (CCN) found that in 2010-2011 – the beginning of austerity – councils in England budgeted to spend almost £1.6m. However, accounts for 2023-2024 reveal that dedicated spending has plummeted by nearly a third over the last 14 years to £1.1bn.
Despite widespread acknowledgement of their social and economic value, the report found that it was “extremely hard” for councils to avoid slashing budgets for cultural services, but attributed the rising costs of social care.
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In a further setback for cultural and heritage funding, it added that ongoing demand pressures and forecasts of huge budget overspends, meant a further round of reductions in funding for cultural services in 2024/25 was being proposed by some county councils and county unitary authorities.

(Image: Manchester Evening News)
The County Councils Network is made up of 20 county councils in England and 17 county unitary authorities. The councils represented in the North West include Cumberland Council, Lancashire County Council, Cheshire East Council and Westmorland and Furness Council.
Libraries represented the biggest area of cultural spending, but councils have cut their overall expenditure on these services by a quarter (£232.5 million) since the beginning of austerity. Meanwhile, Financial support for museums, galleries and theatres has been reduced by £166.8 million over the period, a reduction of 30 percent.
The analysis also shows spending specifically on tourism has seen the largest fall of all cultural services, with a reduction of 63 percent since over the last 14 years. London councils have reduced this spending on tourism by 80 percent over the period, while other metropolitan boroughs have cut budgets by two-thirds.
Sam Corcoran, CCN vice chair and Labour leader of Cheshire East Council, said councils had “thought outside the box” to save library services, but added this was “only half the story”.
He added: “Councils are the biggest funders of arts and culture in England, and we recognise the value of investing in libraries, arts and heritage attractions for both our communities and our economies. But councils have found it extremely hard to avoid significantly reducing their spend on libraries, culture, and tourism since 2010 with funding being prioritised towards statutory and life-critical care services.
“We know how much residents value cultural services, but the reality is that we have been unable to avoid reducing support for them.” He also said that extra Government funding in 2024-2025 may “stave off the most severe reductions” in spending but called for long-term clarity on the provision of libraries and cultural services.
The CCN also called for the current cultural development fund to continue under the next government. However, it argued the competitive bidding process for funding should be removed and money distributed “fairly” across the country.