Richard Holden, MP for North West Durham, has today welcomed news that an emergency funding package has been given to the United Kingdom’s art sector to ensure that they get the help they need during coronavirus. Richard has spoken about this in the House of Commons, where he welcomed the funding for colliery bands, Jack Drum Arts and the Empire Theatre in Consett. You can watch this here.
It has been announced today that Britain’s cultural, arts and heritage institutions will receive grants from a £1.57 billion support package. The package has been put in place to protect our museums, galleries, theatres, cinemas, heritage sites, music venues and historic palaces. Funding will also be put in place so that construction work that has been paused at these venues as a direct result of the pandemic will be able to restart.
This is the biggest ever one-off investment into our culture and will provide a vital lifeline for our precious institutions, enabling them to stay afloat whilst they are closed, reopen again safely once they can and support employment, including those who freelance in these sectors. This is on top of the financial assistance that has already been given to the industry as the industry has seen loans, business rates holidays and 350,000 people furloughed since the pandemic began.
The package will include
- A £1.15 billion support pot for cultural organisations in England delivered through a mix of grants and loans. This will be made up of £270 million of repayable finance and £880 million grants.
- £100 million of targeted support for the national cultural institutions in England and the English Heritage Trust.
- £120 million capital investment to restart construction on cultural infrastructure and for heritage construction projects in England which was paused due to the coronavirus pandemic.
You can find out full details of the scheme here.
The Arts Council has also recently announced further funding for venues in North West Durham, which you can read about here.
Commenting, Richard said ‘I am simply delighted that our arts and culture industry will see such an enormous financial package of help from the Government. I understand what they are going through at the moment and have spoken to many constituents who are concerned about the future of the heritage and culture that we are so lucky to have. This funding will ensure that not only will employment in these sectors be supported, but the industries will be supported and able to reopen and grow once they are able to. We are starting to see lockdown restrictions ease and we are now able to look to the future and this financial package will go a long way in ensuring that the future is safe for people in our arts industries.’
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