Idea：政府投资艺术项目可带动经济发展，提供就业岗位，降低年轻人犯罪率。据去年英国的一项报道，艺术每年提供一百万个就业机会，为经济注入280亿强大资金。投入到艺术中的每个英镑都可以带来4英镑的高回报。这篇文章有大量值得借鉴的观点、词汇和数据。

    Arts investment can bring in £4 for every £1 spent

    Council investment in the arts is driving local growth, generating billions of extra pounds for the national economy and maintaining Britain's role in creating Hollywood blockbusters, according to a new report.

    The study, by the Local Government Association (LGA), highlights the many ways town halls are using the arts to bring in money to communities as well as achieving other goals such as creating jobs, filling vacant shops and reducing youth offending.

    The arts provide nearly one million jobs and the 67,000 cultural businesses contribute £28 billion every year to the UK economy. It's estimated that for every £1 spent by councils on the arts, leverage from grant aid and partnership working brings up to £4 in additional funding.

Major beneficiaries are local tourism and hospitality. The visitor economy is this country's fifth biggest industry and one of the few sectors experiencing growth. It grew at over five times the rate of the UK economy as a whole in 2011, contributing about £115 billion. As well as attracting visitors to places, the arts encourage them to stay longer and spend more. The contribution of music, visual arts and performing arts alone exceeds £4 billion per year.

    Despite Government cutting council funding by 33 per cent, many are – for now – actively protecting their arts budgets. This research shows how short-sighted it would be for the Treasury to make further cuts to local government grants, which, given the need to fund growing demands like care of the elderly, would squeeze out any further scope for such protection, and the contribution it makes to economic growth.

    The report also details a joint commitment from the LGA and Arts Council England on how they will work with councils to support their efforts in arts and culture, and offers guidance on how to make the most of diminished budgets and best link them to economic aims.

    ‘Driving growth through local government investment in the arts' is being launched today (Thursday) at the LGA's annual Culture, Tourism and Sport Conference. See link below for the report.

    Cllr Flick Rea, Chair of the LGA's Culture, Tourism and Sport Board, said:

    "From international festivals and museums that attract hundreds of thousands of visitors, to street entertainment revitalising high streets and theatres supporting young people to gain new skills, thriving arts create great destinations, vibrant places to live and have many valuable economic spin-offs.

    "A theatre, museum or festival draws visitors who do not simply spend money on their ticket or entrance fee, but also buy meals in local restaurants, go to local shops, or perhaps stay in hotels as part of their visit. These people might never have visited that location without the pull of its cultural attractions.

    Businesses also choose to invest in places with a vibrant arts scene because they offer their employees a high quality of life.

    "Different councils are facing very different pressures on funding, but what this report shows is there's great potential out there to turn diminished arts budgets into local growth.Investment in the arts can deliver an impressive rate of return. It's not easy and requires a strategic approach to tying the arts to wider policy aims as well as clear and straightforward commissioning with arts organisations, but the rewards can be huge. Hopefully, by learning from each other councils can make the most of them.

    "However, despite their best efforts, this kind of investment and innovation could become near-impossible were councils to suffer further budget cuts. And without fundamental reform of how councils are funded and an immediate cash injection into the adult social care system, by 2020 most councils will have little money left to do much more than care for the elderly and collect bins."