13th September 2010

Last week, Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt reiterated his long term commitment to the arts sector. Speaking at the Media Festival Arts, he spoke of the significance of the arts sector to the UK economy. He said although they will have “to bear their share of the pain” in dealing with the deficit, his intention is to make sure the arts get through this difficult financial period without long term damage. The Media Festival Arts, which took place on 8th - 10th September 2010 in London, brought together individuals from the arts, film and media industries together to discuss potential for commercial and creative collaboration in the digital sphere.

Mr Hunt also spoke of how the digital and creative industries are “incredibly important” to UK economic growth, and about the need to get the digital infrastructure right: “I’m confident of meeting the Government’s 2015 to have the best broadband in Europe.” In June 2010, he announced a package of measures designed to prevent a new digital divide between urban and rural communities, including plans for three market testing projects to bring superfast broadband to rural areas. "We have to make sure that the benefits of superfast broadband are available to everyone," he said. He also confirmed that the Government will open up existing infrastructure to reduce the costs of laying new fibre, saying that they would legislate if necessary. "Wherever I go in the country, businesses tell me that access to fast, reliable broadband is increasingly essential," said Mr Hunt.