NEWS

£1.57bn for arts, heritage & culture

The Government announced yesterday, 5 July 2020, a £1.57 billion support package for the arts, heritage and culture sectors to help with the impact of COVID-19. UK theatres, galleries, museums and other cultural venues will be eligible, along with independent cinemas, heritage sites and music venues.

It follows several weeks of pressure, with industry leaders warning that many venues were on the brink of collapse.

The support package includes: 

• £1.15 billion 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 in 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 paused due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Organisations including Arts Council England, Historic England, National Lottery Heritage Fund and the British Films Institute will help with the award decisions. 

Repayable finance will be issued on generous terms tailored for cultural institutions to ensure they are affordable. Further details will be set out when the scheme opens for applications in the coming weeks.

Rishi Sunak, Chancellor of the Exchequer said:

“Our world-renowned galleries, museums, heritage sites, music venues and independent cinemas are not only critical to keeping our economy thriving, employing more than 700,000 people, they’re the lifeblood of British culture.
That’s why we’re giving them the vital cash they need to safeguard their survival, helping to protect jobs and ensuring that they can continue to provide the sights and sounds that Britain is famous for.”

06/07/2020