Arts funding

A pot of £15.2m will be available for cultural organisations across England in the latest round of funding under the government's Cultural Development Fund, it has been announced.

So far, 20 projects have received a combined total of £76.8m from the fund since 2019, with arts centres, community venues and heritage buildings among the beneficiaries.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport said this year’s round will be the first time since 2019 that projects in London are eligible to apply to the fund.

Arts and Heritage Minister Lord Parkinson said the further funding will extend government's work to level up access to arts and culture in a bid to ensure that everyone has high quality opportunities on their doorstep.   

“I encourage applicants to put forward ambitious proposals which will make a real difference to the lives of even more people across the country, and help to preserve the UK’s position on the world stage as a cultural and creative powerhouse,” he said.

Darren Henley, Chief Executive of Arts Council England which is delivering the fund on behalf of DCMS, said the money will bring the transformative power of creativity and culture to more people in more places, across the country. 

"By investing in the infrastructure that cultural organisations need, we can help them make an even bigger impact on the places where they're based, benefiting the communities they work with," he said. 

Speaking separately at an event last Wednesday (24 January), Parkinson said the government's Cultural Education Plan will be published shortly.

"The development of a Cultural Education Plan represents an important opportunity for the range of people and organisations who have a stake and an interest in cultural education to work together and to work with us in government in a practical and tangible way to respond to that, and to improve the lives of children and young people," he said in a speech at the Association of British Orchestra's annual conference.

"The Cultural Education Plan, which we will publish very soon, aims to highlight the importance of high quality cultural education, promote the social value of it, to support career progression pathways, to address skills gaps and to tackle disparities in opportunity."

Valence House Museum and Gardens in Dagenham will undergo £800k improvement works after securing external investment.

The restoration is backed by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and Arts Council England’s Museum Estates Development Fund, with match funding from Barking and Dagenham Council.

The project includes conservation works in the medieval moated enclosure to restore natural habitats and biodiversity, roof repair and conservation investigations into the medieval fabric of the Grade II* listed building. 

Councillor Saima Ashraf, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Community Leadership and Engagement said: “Barking and Dagenham is a growing destination with a diverse arts and culture offer, and we recognise the huge contribution the sector makes to our entire community.

“Our borough’s heritage gems... are much loved by the community, and despite the financial pressures we, like councils up and down the country, are facing, we’re committed to ensuring our heritage sites remain available for local people to enjoy.

“It’s really important we continue to secure external funding to invest in these important sites and ensure a wide range of arts and culture activity to meet the needs of not just the few, but the many.”

A new cultural festival in Broxtrowe, Nottinghamshire, has received £30,000 of Arts Council England (ACE) funding. 

Running throughout June, the festival will offer indoor and outdoor events, including a mix of theatre performances, art workshops, film screenings and live music.

The bid to ACE was made through a Community Committee comprising Broxtowe Borough Council members and officers as well as local people with experience in the culture sector.

Chair of the Community Committee, Councillor Teresa Cullen, said: “This is such a significant amount of funding and such an exciting opportunity for us in Broxtowe. The festival will bring the best of Broxtowe cultural groups and artists to venues across the breadth of the borough. 

“It will also be a really important way for us to break down barriers between areas of our local community, raise awareness of issues like disability and mental health through cultural performances and be accessible for people for all backgrounds."

Woking Council will ask the government if it can use money provided for digital strategy to keep an arts centre open.

The BBC reports that the cash-strapped local authority was given £1m as part of the government's UK Shared Prosperity Fund in 2022 but now wants to reallocate £600,000 of that for other purposes, including £130,000 to keep The Lightbox museum and gallery open.

Under the plans, £30,000 would also be given to Citizen's Advice to help plan for the future, and £101,000 would be allocated to improving footpaths and car parks in outdoor spaces.

Will Forster, Deputy Leader at Woking Council, said the move would help minimise the impact of the council's financial position on communities and local businesses.

He added: "We've had to make some really tough decisions this year. I'm glad that by utilising this funding sensibly, we can show organisations like The Lightbox and Citizen's Advice that we value them and are willing to do everything within our gift to support them."

The decision to reallocate the money to six priority projects was made at a council meeting last Thursday (18 January), and government approval will now be sought.