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The UK Government\u2019s Unboxed festival, an arts festival with free events taking place across the UK, is to be examined by the nation\u2019s independent public spending watchdog.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The review has been requested by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) Committee.<\/p>\n
In a letter published today (Tuesday) the Comptroller and Auditor General, Gareth Davies, has said that the National Audit Office (NAO) will publish a report on the costs and benefits, management and planning of the project by the end of the year.<\/p>\n
The project was announced by then-Prime Minister Theresa May in 2018 and cost \u00a3120m ($133m\/\u20ac137m) to deliver. It was hoped that 66 million people would attend the \u2018celebration of creativity\u2019 but it was actually only seen by a lacklustre 240,000 people.<\/p>\n
The event began in May and will run until next month.<\/p>\n
The DCMS Committee criticised the delivery of the festival and a report in March on major cultural and sporting events found that the investment was \u201can irresponsible use of public money\u201d.<\/p>\n
The Committee will hear from the UK Government and the Unboxed management team after the NAO concludes its investigation.<\/p>\n
Chair of the DCMS Committee and Member of Parliament (MP) Julian Knight said: \u201cThat such an exorbitant amount of public cash has been spent on a so-called celebration of creativity that has barely failed to register in the public consciousness raises serious red flags about how the project has been managed from conception through to delivery.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe NAO\u2019s investigation will bring welcome and thorough scrutiny and help get to the bottom of how so much tax-payer money could be frittered away for so little return.\u201d<\/p>\n
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