Arts funding

Funding has been set aside by Stockport Council to cover repairs at the Forum Theatre in Romiley, Stockport, which has been closed since September due to the presence of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC).

The Manchester Evening News reports that the Liberal Democrat-led council will provide £300,000 for the works so the theatre can reopen.

Frankie Singleton, Stockport Council's Cabinet Member for Communities, Culture and Sport, said that a long-term arrangement with central government to deal with such issues is required. 

“The government have to work with local councils to find a sustainable solution to fund repairs, and any costs incurred whilst repairs continue, similar to the approach that has been taken with schools and colleges,” she said.

“We believe that this issue has become urgent in local communities across the country. Therefore, we urge the government to provide funding for repairs in local cultural venues in line with the approach taken for other buildings.”

An art gallery in Great Yarmouth that opened three years ago has been put on the market after failing to cover running costs once its grant funding ran out.

The Great Yarmouth Preservation Trust (GYPT), which owns the Yare Gallery, said that rising costs of wages, utility bills, maintenance and insurance led to the gallery's closure last year after its grant funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and the government's Culture Recovery Fund ran out.

The trust received £176,800 across two Culture Recovery for Heritage funding rounds.

Bernard Williamson, Chair of GYPT, told Eastern Daily Press: "The trust received no support or subsidy from the local authority or other bodies.

"The regeneration benefits of such an asset are a huge drain on our resources and led trustees to put the building on the market.

"It is hoped that the gallery will, therefore, continue with a new owner."

The Yare Gallery opened in 2021 in a Grade II building that was purchased and restored in the early 2000s to create the Norfolk Nelson Museum, which closed in 2019. The property has gone up for sale for just under £300,000, and the funds will be used to support other local preservation trust projects.

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."