DUP opposes calls for Basic Income for artists in Northern Ireland

The DUP has voiced opposition to calls for a Basic Income for Artists scheme to be introduced in Northern Ireland.

At Belfast City Council this week, DUP Group Leader Councillor Sarah Bunting spoke out against the proposal as the rest of the council voted to lobby Stormont to introduce the scheme.

The Republic of Ireland is establishing a permanent Basic Income for the Arts scheme, which will pay 2,000 eligible artists €325 per week for three years.

The scheme follows a long-running pilot and aims to provide financial stability, improve wellbeing and reduce the need for alternative employment among artists. Applications are expected to open soon.

At the March meeting of Belfast City Council, 35 elected representatives voted in favour of an SDLP motion promoting the idea in Northern Ireland, with 15 DUP councillors voting against.

The motion states:

“The arts, culture and creative sectors are central to Belfast’s social fabric, wellbeing, identity, and local economy. Many artists, performers and creative workers in Belfast and across the North continue to experience insecure, low and irregular incomes, worsened by the long-term impacts of COVID-19 and the ongoing cost of living crisis.

“The Irish Government introduced a Basic Income for Artists pilot in 2022, providing an unconditional weekly payment to artists and creative workers, which has been independently evaluated as improving financial stability, wellbeing, and time spent on creative practice. The Irish Government has now committed to making this scheme permanent, recognising the structural precarity faced by those working in the creative industries.”

It adds:

“This council believes that artists and creative workers should not be forced out of their professions due to financial insecurity. It believes Belfast’s creative sector is a vital public good, contributing to community cohesion, regeneration, tourism, mental health, youth engagement and cultural life.

“A Basic Income for Artists scheme in the North would help protect creative livelihoods, retain local talent, and strengthen the city’s cultural ecosystem.”

If implemented, Belfast City Council will call on the Northern Ireland Executive to introduce and fund a Basic Income for Artists scheme, modelled on the Irish Government’s programme, to “provide regular, unconditional income support to eligible artists and creative workers”.

The council will request that the Minister for Communities lead the development of the scheme, in partnership with the Department for the Economy and the Department of Finance, “engaging directly with the arts and creative sectors in its design” and treating it “as a priority within the Executive’s Programme for Government and budget-setting process”.

The SDLP accepted a “friendly” Green Party amendment stressing fairness and accessibility in any potential Basic Income for Artists scheme.

Speaking at the full council meeting, Councillor Bunting said:

“Let me be clear, no one in this chamber disputes the value of the arts. The cultural and creative sector is part of the lifeblood of Belfast. It contributes to our identity, our tourism offering, our community cohesion and indeed to people’s well-being and mental health. That is not in question.

“But what is in question is whether calling for a permanent, unconditional basic income for artists is the right policy, whether it is affordable, whether it is fair, and crucially, whether this council is the forum to be discussing it.

“It is not a matter for Belfast City Council, that responsibility lies with the Northern Ireland Executive and the Assembly.”

She added:

“So we have to ask, why is this motion here? If the proposers genuinely believe in this policy, they have MLAs who sit in the Assembly, they have the ability to table motions, they can introduce private members’ bills, and they can scrutinise ministers. That is where this debate properly belongs.

“There is a serious question of principle. If we accept artists should receive a guaranteed income because their work is socially valuable, yet financially insecure, then what about others who contribute enormously to society? What about sports coaches who volunteer evenings and weekends, shaping young people’s lives?

“What about community volunteers running food banks and youth groups, what about carers, entrepreneurs trying to build small businesses? Many give their time, talent and energy without any guarantee of financial stability.”

Belfast City Council will now send correspondence to the relevant Stormont departments, with responses expected to be published at forthcoming committee meetings at City Hall.

At a Glance

• Proposal: Belfast City Council has voted to lobby Stormont to introduce a Basic Income for Artists scheme in Northern Ireland.

• Vote Outcome: 35 councillors supported the SDLP motion; 15 DUP councillors voted against.

• Model: Based on the Republic of Ireland’s scheme, which will pay 2,000 eligible artists €325 per week for three years.

• DUP Position: Councillor Sarah Bunting questioned whether the policy is affordable, fair, or appropriate for council to debate.

• Next Step: Council will write to the relevant Stormont departments, with responses expected at future committee meetings.