A former Scottish Government minister has called for a u-turn on new cuts to Creative Scotland as he told First Minister John Swinney that the shutdown of a vital fund for artists was "nonsensical and insensitive” to the culture sector. Ben Macpherson said he was "perplexed" that Creative Scotland's open fund was being closed when the Scottish Government had committed £100m in new investment in the arts industry. The MSP for Edinburgh Northern and Leith, a former public finance minister under Nicola Sturgeon, has written to First Minister John Swinney raising concerns that the fund's demise will lead to "a much less accessible, less culturally diverse, and less dynamic cultural sector.
" Mr Macpherson’s intervention came as the new director of the Edinburgh International Book Festival called for a “total rethink” of Scottish arts funding and hit out at the “absurdity” of Creative Scotland’s fund being shut down during the city’s “hugely successful” cultural events. Jenny Niven has warned that its indefinite closure will have an “immediate and lasting impact” on Scotland's cultural life. Leading Scottish authors including Christopher Brookmyre and Louise Welsh have also spoken out over the fund's shutdown, which Creative Scotland has blamed on the Scottish Government’s refusal to release more than £10m of funding in its previously agreed budget.
Its closure has triggered an arts industry rebellion, with more than 14,500 backers for a petition demandi.