Disappointment at another Quango for Edinburgh

As Labour's Leisure, Arts and Communities spokesperson on Dundee City Council I have expressed my disappointment that Creative Scotland will be based in Edinburgh. I feel that given the burgeoning cultural community in Dundee that the city would have been an excellent base for Creative Scotland.

I am disappointed that yet another quango will be based in Edinburgh. When I was Convener of Leisure, Arts and Communities I had expressed my opinion to the Scottish Arts Council and to the previous culture minister, Linda Fabiani, that I thought that Dundee would be an excellent location for the new cultural body which replaces the Arts Council and Scottish Screen. This is a missed opportunity. I feel that Dundee would have been an excellent venue for Creative Scotland, we have the universities, the college, the DCA, the Rep, the newly refurbished McManus and hopefully before too long the V & A. Basing Creative Scotland outside of Edinburgh (or indeed Glasgow) would have been a powerful way of telling the world that there is more to Scottish cultural life than Glasgow or Edinburgh, unfortunately that opportunity has been missed.

My colleague Marlyn Glen MSP has also made some comment on this please find her comments below:


Marlyn Glen, the Dundee-based MSP, criticised the decision by the Scottish Government that the headquarters of the new arts agency , Creative Scotland, would be in Edinburgh, rather than being located in Dundee.



Ms. Glen accused the Scottish Government of “simply ignoring Dundee once again.”



She said,



“ The transfer of the home of Creative Scotland to Dundee would have been an important boost to the local community and to the local economy.



“ It would have sent an important signal from the Scottish Government that Dundee is a good place to work and to live in.



“Instead, the sound of another broken promise from the SNP on jobs for Dundee resounds across the city.”