Could a Creative Worker Income Guarantee in Brighton and Hove Work?

While the sector feels it could be effective, the funding required may prove prohibitive for local government.

Brighton and Hove's high living costs, compounded by the pandemic's impact, increasingly are driving creative talents away. Celebrated for its vibrant creative and cultural scene, it now sits at a crossroads, risking the loss of its unique identity without targeted interventions.

Last year, BOP was appointed to outline a pilot for a Creative Worker Income Guarantee for Brighton & Hove, on behalf of the University of Sussex and the ABCD Cultural Recovery Programme to address this concern.

What is a Creative Income Guarantee

Universal Basic Income (UBI) initiatives have been given greater policy attention and emphasis since the Covid-19 pandemic, including for creative workers. These schemes are based on the idea of creating a minimum income floor, giving targeted regular financial support to citizens with minimal conditions imposed.

Schemes such as the Basic Income for Artists in Ireland, Creatives Rebuild New York's Guaranteed Income Programme, and Yerba Buena Centre for the Arts' Guaranteed Income Pilot for Artists in San Francisco have adopted various approaches to support creative workers through income guarantee schemes. These initiatives, differing in scale, target groups, funding sources, and duration, have all aimed to bolster the financial stability of artists and creative workers under deteriorating conditions. 

However, despite the growing attention towards these Creative Worker Income Guarantee schemes, their implementation is not always straightforward, and the costs can escalate rapidly - raising questions about their feasibility for Brighton and Hove.

A Case for Brighton and Hove

Through our research we explored how a Creative Worker Income Guarantee could directly support individual Brighton creatives, fostering a more diverse, genuinely innovative, creative economy.  Our engagement with the sector told us that a basic income scheme for creative workers could be effective, provided it encompasses four key elements:

1. The scheme caters to creative professionals at all stages of their careers.
2. It strikes a balance between targeted support for specific groups and a randomised selection process to ensure fairness.
3. Includes various stakeholders across the city in its implementation.
4. Is viewed as an investment into the broader creative sector with social and economic benefits for the city.

However, there are challenges translating this into practice, and the costs of would rapidly become prohibitive. International examples suggest that a large, most likely national, fund would be needed, or the programme would need to be incredibly targeted.

For these reasons it is unsurprising that such programmes have typically been initiated by national governments or in countries with robust philanthropic traditions. However, a pilot programme, informed by this research, could be uniquely tailored to Brighton and Hove's specific context and needs, serving as a much-needed blueprint for wider application.

This article originally appeared on the BOP website here. Read the full paper here.

About the Team:

Laura Caldow is a consultant with over 20 years of experience across the cultural sector as an artist, creative producer and researcher. Laura’s work in a variety of roles across the performing arts, spanning opera, dance, theatre, puppetry and film, gives her unique insight into artistic leadership, collaborative creativity, community cultural engagement and cross-sector partnerships.

Martha P. is a Senior Consultant with over 15 years' experience working in the culture and creative sector, with a particular focus on international cultural policy making, cultural events and planning.

Callum Lee is the Managing Director of BOP leading its portfolio and strategic partnerships. Callum’s clients include major investors in cultural programmes and policies. He has led the strategic planning for some of the world’s largest or most innovative cultural development projects, with clients ranging from Transport for London to The Ministry of Culture for Saudi Arabia.