The DCMS Committee has today published the Government response to
its report on major cultural and sporting events.
The report, published in
March, warned that the UK was failing to fully capitalise on
the opportunities and benefits of hosting events because of a
lack of overall vision and direction from the Government. It
called on DCMS to work with industry to develop and publish a
strategy for hosting the full scope of major events.
It cited this year’s Unboxed: Creativity in the UK festival as a
prime example of a major event where aims were ‘vague and ripe
for misinterpretation’. The £120million investment in the
festival – an eight-month long celebration of creativity
following the UK’s exit from the EU – was ‘an irresponsible use
of public money’ with the Committee warning that it is ‘far from
clear’ that it will deliver a return on investment.
In its response, the Government says that publishing a strategy
for major events is not an ‘immediate priority’ and disagrees
with the Committee’s assessment of Unboxed, insisting that it is
being promoted globally.
Chair of the DCMS Committee said: “Far
from showcasing the UK’s creativity and innovation to the world,
the Unboxed festival seems to quickly be disappearing without
trace. That the Government is clinging to the idea that it is a
success does not inspire confidence that lessons are being learnt
about how best to deliver events in the future. Without a
commitment to a proper strategy, major events will continue to
run the risk of squandering the potential benefits for the
country and wasting taxpayers’ money.”
ENDS
Note to editors:
The DCMS Committee scrutinises the spending,
policies and administration of the government Department for
Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. We are not a government
committee but a select committee of the House of Commons with a
key role in holding ministers to account. Any of our inquiries
would correctly be described as a ‘parliamentary inquiry’.
