Creative Scotland ‘too bureaucratic’ and must take more risks, review finds

The national arts body is “too bureaucratic”, “distant and impersonal”, an independent review has concluded.

The probe found that while Creative Scotland was “valued” by the arts sector, it also called for a series of changes to its structure and governance.

It said more “relationship-based roles” were required, suggested board members should dedicate more time to the job, and called for the organisation to “demonstrate greater ambition, aspiration and appetite for risk”.

Culture secretary Angus Robertson welcomed the review and said Creative Scotland was “well placed” to respond to its recommendations.

The review was instigated in September 2024 after several controversial decisions were made by the body, including cash for an erotic film installation project and pulling funding from the Aye Write book festival.

It was meant to report back over the summer but its remit was expanded in the spring, pushing back the deadline.

The review is the first one into Creative Scotland since its formation in 2010.

It concluded that while it had provided “significant support” to the sector over the last 15 years, it also said there was “widespread agreement that funding does not currently match the ambition of the sector”.

Creative Scotland is “under-resourced” an areas required to further develop the sector, it continues, and while staff were “highly committed”, the organisation as a whole “appears distant and impersonal to many”.

“More relationship-based roles, regional input and cooperation with others would strengthen delivery for the whole sector,” it said.

Improving governance arrangements, particularly around transparency and performance oversight, was called for.

Chair of the review, Angela Leitch, said: “It is evident that there is a need for a strong national body for the arts, culture and creative sector. However, improvements are required to ensure that Creative Scotland can fully deliver all aspects of its remit.”

The Scottish Government has committed to increasing funding for the arts substantially over the coming years. Former first minister Humza Yousaf pledged to provide an additional £100m to the sector by 2028.

Robertson said: “As the Scottish Government continues to deliver its commitment to increase culture funding by £100m per year, it remains vital to ensure the public sector partners tasked with supporting the sector are able to do so as effectively as possible. The recommendations of this review will be key to that.”

But the Scottish Conservatives have accused the cabinet secretary of being "asleep at the wheel".

Culture spokesperson Murdo Fraser said: "It is extremely alarming that the report has delivered a scathing verdict on the quango’s lack of transparency, poor leadership, excessive bureaucracy and a total absence of performance monitoring.

“After the scandal surrounding the organisation’s decision to fund a pornographic film, any competent SNP minister should have been keeping a very close eye on its activities, given it gets almost £90m of taxpayers’ money each year.

“Instead of ensuring Creative Scotland is open to scrutiny, Angus Robertson has failed in his responsibilities and has not even bothered to check this public body is doing its job properly.”