The General Election is an opportunity to make the case for the arts far and wide. Ultimately the election is won or lost at a local level, both  with a small number of marginal seats deciding the outcome and more generally with all candidates in all seats being attentive to voters concerns and  opinions. This election for the first time offers the opportunity to use social networking media to motivate your audience, track issues and opinions and inform politicians.

All arts organisations and individuals can grasp this moment of heightend political activity to advocate for the arts, for both the individual benefits they bring and for their wider impact within society and in particular on the economy and the UK's recovery and longer-term stability. 

The arts matter, they are a measure of a civilized society, they contribute to our quality of life and wellbeing. Our world is increasingly visual -  engagement with the visual arts enables us to flourish as creative citizens within this complex, globally-connected environment.

The Government's arts spend is 0.1% of the total Treasury budget; the arts cost 17p a week per person but lever immense returns - with  worldclass arts, artists and galleries and museums, a creative sector that gives Britain an international edge as an exciting place to live, work and do business.

Given the cuts in spending that local authorities are predicting the local elections  will be as equally important to the future arts landscape. 164 Councils across the country have local elections including  every Local Authority in London with some  6000 candidates -  see the London Councils election website >> all 36 Metropolitian Boroughs, 76 Second-tier District Authorities and 20 Unitary Authorities.

Resources to help you and all those who enjoy and engage in your work keep the arts on the political agenda and make the case  for investment in the arts to be sustained can be found by following the menu to the left.

Remember however that there are legal limitations relating to lobbying and political campaiging that apply to many public sector organisations and to charities download guidance here.



Image:  A Practice for Everyday Life, Makeamark