The publication of the Independent Review of Creative Scotland comes at a pivotal moment for Scotland’s theatre and dance ecology.
FST broadly welcomes the findings of the Review. We recognise Creative Scotland’s importance to the sector and the huge effort invested in gathering evidence. At the same time, we agree with many contributors that the recommendations need to translate into clear, measurable changes – both within Creative Scotland and across the wider culture support system.
Creative Scotland itself is still considering the Review and has not yet set out a full response or implementation plan. In its initial letter to the Scottish Parliament’s Culture Committee, Creative Scotland welcomed the report’s publication, and said it will take time to reflect on the findings and work with Scottish Government on next steps before providing a more detailed response.
What the Review and other reports are telling us
The Independent Review of Creative Scotland sits alongside other important recent sector reviews and consultations, including; the Scottish Government’s Culture Sector Support Needs Survey, the recent Pre-Budget Scrutiny 2026–27 report from the Parliament’s Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee, and the recent recommendations of the Culture Fair Work Taskforce.
Taken together, these reports confirm a shared diagnosis which reflects much of what our members and partners have been telling us:
- System fragility and exhaustion – organisations and freelancers are still operating in crisis mode, even as new investment is announced.
- Freelancers are at the sharpest end – multiple reports highlight precarious work and uneven access to support.
- Funding instability and regional inequality – funding uplifts risk being offset by local authority cuts, with continuing central-belt concentration and gaps elsewhere.
- Bureaucracy, data gaps and weak coordination – processes are experienced as onerous and stressful, while sector-wide intelligence remains incomplete.
- Fair Work not yet embedded – policy commitments are clear, but enforcement, support and practical tools are still developing.
At the same time, there are also clear opportunities:
- A genuine “system change” window, with external scrutiny and public attention focused on how culture is supported.
- Clearer expectations of Creative Scotland and Scottish Government as funders, advocates and system leaders.
- Fair Work providing a more concrete framework for change around pay, conditions and power.
- Existing strategic work from FST and others for the sector can be built on, rather than starting from scratch.
- Strong sector creativity and appetite for collaboration.
Creative Scotland Review Recommendations
We welcome the Review’s recognition that:
- Creative Scotland’s remit is broad and still relevant but has at times been interpreted too narrowly.
- Funding processes (especially Multi-Year Funding) have been harmful, burdensome and insufficiently transparent.
- There is a need for stronger partnership working with the sector and better use of data and intelligence across the whole ecosystem.
We’re also acutely aware that the Review itself acknowledges its limits: it does not attempt to redesign the whole culture support system, and it does not replace the need for wider reform by Scottish Government, local authorities and other funders.
We therefore see four main strands of how FST and its Members could respond to the recommendations laid out in the Creative Scotland Review going forward:
1. Supporting operational developments at Creative Scotland
Engaging with Creative Scotland to support and scrutinise moves to:
- Simplify application, monitoring and reporting requirements – with processes proportionate to the size and risk of awards.
- Embed more transparent and confident risk-taking in their decision-making, so innovation isn’t stifled by fear.
- Use data more actively and explicitly, including publishing clearer information on success rates, regional distribution and artform patterns.
- Strengthen expectations and consequences around Fair Work, EDI and workforce planning, in line with the Culture Fair Work Taskforce recommendations.
2. Supporting strategic developments at Creative Scotland
Encouraging and, where helpful, partnering with Creative Scotland to:
- Enhance its role and visibility as a developer and advocate for the whole sector, not just those it funds.
- Co-develop and publish long-term strategies, working with sector bodies and networks.
- Improve regional and relationship-based roles and channels, so organisations and freelancers have real people to talk to, and local intelligence shapes decisions.
- Develop a more strategic approach to cultural infrastructure and capital with Scottish Government, including theatres and producing spaces.
- Clarify what is achievable within current resources, and where new investment and policy changes are required.
3. Addressing the wider context beyond Creative Scotland
Many of the structural issues raised in the Review and related reports lie beyond CS’s direct control. We will therefore work with partners, including Culture Counts, to influence:
- Scottish Government – to honour and profile delivery of the £100m culture uplift; make real progress on cross-directorate working; test and scale alternative funding models; and co-design a national approach to cultural infrastructure, capital and Fair Work with Creative Scotland.
- COSLA and local authorities – to protect and rebuild local culture budgets; and explore shared commitments to regional balance.
4. What FST and our Members can do by ourselves
Alongside advocating for change, we also want to sustain a conversation about what we can do together without waiting for others:
- Develop a shared, long-term strategy for theatre and dance with Creative Scotland.
- Put freelancers at the centre of our thinking and structures.
- Build resource- and space-sharing into how we work.
- Invest in leadership support, wellbeing and peer learning.
- Co-design practical Fair Work tools and implementation plans.
- Strengthen collective advocacy using shared evidence and messages.
Over the coming months and years we will seek to take all the above forward by:
- Sharing resources and analysis of related reports through our new Research and Advocacy Hub and member forums.
- Inviting members – including organisations, venues and freelancers – to help shape FST’s priorities, evidence and activities as implementation plans emerge.
- Working with Creative Scotland and other partners to identify concrete, timebound actions.
The Independent Review of Creative Scotland is not an end point; it is an opportunity. We’re committed to using this moment to strengthen the conditions for theatre and dance in Scotland, and to doing so in partnership with our members and allies across the cultural ecosystem.