MPs have slammed Unboxed, the Government’s rebranded “festival of Brexit” celebrating creativity in the UK, calling the £120m event an “irresponsible use of public money”.
Announced in 2018 by then PM Theresa May following the UK’s departure from the EU, Unboxed launched the first of ten major UK-wide public arts and science projects in Paisley, last week.
In a report warning that the Government was squandering the benefits of hosting major sporting and cultural events, the DCMS Committee singled out Unboxed as a prime example of a large-scale project whose aims are “vague and ripe for misinterpretation.”
“The desire for it to seemingly cater to everyone, everywhere, is a recipe for failure and investing £120m in something when the Government, by their own admission, ‘did not know what it was’ is an irresponsible use of public money,” the MPs said.
Running across the year and backed by the devolved administrations, Unboxed will encompass science, technology, engineering, arts and maths and aims to reach 2.5 million young people.
It opened at Paisley Abbey with About Us, an immersive history of the universe from the big bang to the present day, combining multimedia installations and live performance.
DCMS Committee Chair Julian Knight MP said: “The Unboxed festival acts as a prime illustration of an event with aims that have been vague from the start. That it took three years to come up with a rather nebulous name, which will mean little to the few that are even aware of its existence, does not bode well for its chances of delivering a true lasting legacy.”
“Such a muddled approach is a sure-fire recipe for failure and we have no confidence that it can meet its ambitious targets for engagement or deliver a return on the substantial investment from the public coffers.”
Martin Green CBE, Chief Creative Officer, Unboxed said: “Unboxed is an ambitious programme of ten free major multi-site and digital creative projects designed to bring people together in a UK-wide celebration of creativity, delivered in partnership with the four nations of the UK.”
He added: “Unboxed opened in Paisley on 1 March with an overwhelmingly positive public response, underpinning a commitment to bring large-scale cultural programming to places often underserved.”
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“From unique audience experiences to a UK-wide schools programme, we are confident that Unboxed will demonstrate lasting value to people throughout the UK.”
A DCMS spokesperson said: We disagree with the committee’s findings. The UK has a strong history of hosting incredible international events that deliver huge benefits for the nation, creating jobs and increasing investment in towns and cities across the country.”
“2022 will be no different with Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, the Birmingham Commonwealth Games, the Women’s Euros, the Rugby League World Cup and Unboxed bringing people together and leaving a strong legacy that will benefit communities for years to come.”
50,000 people visited the first About Us comission in Paisley, Scotland.
The DCMS report also called for guaranteed funding for the 2025 UK City of Culture hosts, to be revealed in May.
MPs highlighted the case of the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. It concluded that while it presents a great opportunity for the people of the West Midlands, there has not been sufficient priority given to legacy funding and long-term evaluation.
The committee also warns that the Government must establish an independent regulator for English football, as recommended by the fan-led review of football governance, before the campaign to host Euro 2028 begins.
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