Cross artform

Administrators investigating a charity's spending have been given another year to continue their work.

Since Coventry City of Culture Trust collapsed in February 2023 with debts of more than £4m, administrators have been working to sell off assets to try to pay back creditors while investigating the circumstances of the collapse, with forensic accountants being hired to assist.

The appointment of an administrator automatically ends one year after the date it takes effect.

But a notice filed with Companies House states that, with creditors' consent, the administration period will now run until 27 February 2025. Any further extensions are only possible by court order.

Meanwhile, a senior Conservative MP said they want to "get to the bottom of what went wrong".

Speaking to the Coventry Observer, Conservative Party Chairman Richard Holden said he and his party’s local candidates for the next general election were "very keen" for the full legacy of the City of Culture year to be realised.

“Millions was given by central government to fund the City of Culture year and I know there is a big desire in Coventry to get to the bottom of this issue.

“I know [our local candidates] are very passionate about this issue and want to see a real legacy of the City of Culture.

“This includes getting to the bottom of what went wrong but also to work towards building on the positive as there was so much money and goodwill invested into the year.”

A cultural programme covering Bath, Bristol, North and North East Somerset and South Gloucestershire is set to go ahead after securing investment.

Bath Spa University partnered with the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority (WECA) to secure funding through Arts Council England’s (ACE) National Lottery Place Partnerships Fund for Culture West, a two-year, region-wide programme aiming to enable every child and young person access to cultural experiences.

It plans to commission two new festivals, support and provide work for 425 creative freelancers and engage over 109,000 people in arts and cultural experiences with live audiences of more than 270,000.

Other initiatives include a new residency scheme for low-income artists and makers at Bath Spa University’s creative practice studio, while a new arts space will open in Radstock early next year.

Bath Spa University will also support the delivery of a new regional Creative Agency, creating employment guidance and networks for those entering the creative industries.

WECA has invested £1.5m in the programme, ACE has provided a £1m grant and local partners have given a combined £640,000.

Professor Sue Rigby, Bath Spa University Vice-Chancellor said the shared ambition is “to create a step change for the region by increasing access to arts and culture in every place for all communities and creatives.”

“Through this, we aim to improve lives, support local economies, help regenerate neighbourhoods and bring people back into work in the creative industries, post-pandemic.”

Six areas across England are to be awarded a share of £10.9m to scale up hundreds of creative industry businesses.

Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer announced the expansion of the government’s Creative Growth programme during the WeCreate conference at Manchester’s Aviva Studios yesterday (14 November).

The expansion doubles the areas covered by the programme. Creative businesses in Nottinghamshire, Hull and East Yorkshire, West Midlands, West Yorkshire, Devon and Hertfordshire will now be eligible to access private investment and scale-up advice.

The amount of funding each area will receive is not set and depends on the individual area’s business needs and the number of businesses that apply for grants and support. 

Since launching in 2022, the Creative Growth programme has delivered £28.4m. It is estimated the programme’s expansion will take the total number of creative organisations supported by the scheme to 1,800.

The programme was developed to support government ambitions to grow the creative industries by £50bn by 2030.

Speaking in Manchester yesterday, Frazer said: "We’re already making progress towards the ambitious goals set out in our sector vision, unveiling millions in new funding to drive growth in our grassroots and scale ups and banging the drum for creative careers."

A £2.3m arts and culture centre has opened in Derry/Londonderry as part of an initiative funding projects in five urban areas of Northern Ireland (NI).

Funding for the New Gate Arts & Culture Centre comes from the Urban Villages Initiative, which is overseen by NI’s Executive Office.

The scheme offers funding for projects that develop thriving places where there has been a history of deprivation and community tension.

The new arts centre, located in the Fountain area of Derry/Londonderry, features a performance space, art and tuition rooms and a dance studio.

A spokesperson for Derry City and Strabane District Council, which managed the development, said the centre will “assist in fostering positive community identities, building community capacity and improving the local physical environment”.

Joan O’Hara, Director of the Executive Office’s Urban Villages programme, added: “This is a fantastic regeneration project for the Fountain area of the city and across the region to provide a shared cultural space right in the heart of the local community”.

“The centre will invigorate the area and encourage the community to come together to celebrate their culture and backgrounds in a space that will use the arts to create new experiences and friendships.”

A fundraising event staged by fashion magazine Vogue has raised £2m for London-based arts organisations that saw their support cut by Arts Council England (ACE). 

Promoted as an event to "celebrate a mix of opera, dance, theatre and fashion", Vogue said it will donate 100% of net proceeds from ticket sales to 21 arts and cultural organisations in London in the form of grants. 

Those set to receive the grants include the National Theatre, the Royal Opera House, the Royal Ballet, Southbank Sinfonia and the Rambert Dance Company. The funds can be used for anything related to their core mission and objectives.

The recipients comprise three types of organisations, including larger institutions classed as  ‘Vogue World cultural partners’, which helped to produce the event. Donations will also go to organisations that support freelancers and small companies in London that have recently received funding for the first time or had their funding reduced.

In a press release, Vogue said: “In addition to ticket proceeds, Vogue is working with a number of organisations and donors to increase donations to the fund through individual contributions.”

Vogue Editor Anna Wintour previously said the decision to give proceeds from the event mainly to London-based organisations was a response to arts funding being shifted outside the capital for the 2023-26 National Portfolio after ACE was required to reduce funding for London-based organisations by 15%.

“The arts are under threat in the UK, and Vogue World will be a timely reminder of how important they are, how vital a part of our lives, and how much they need our support,” Wintour said.

“The London art scene is so important economically to the city. So many people come to London as tourists to appreciate the art scenes.”

The 37-minute show, held at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane on Thursday night, was directed by Stephen Daldry and included a host of well-known actors and musicians who paid tribute to the importance of the arts.

The UK Government's decision to rejoin a European Union research programme will help drive growth in the creative industries by providing access to grant funding opportunities, Creative UK has said.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has confirmed that from this week British researchers can apply once again for grants from the £85bn Horizon programme.

In total the UK will contribute about £2.6bn on average a year to Horizon and Copernicus, an Earth observation satellite programme, with the UK’s contributions due to start from January.

Creative UK Chief Executive Caroline Norbury said the Horizon deal has “transformative potential” to increase investment in the creative industries for start-ups and innovation.

"Cross border collaboration through research and development is crucial to fuelling the power of creativity to drive innovation, and access to the Horizon Europe programme promises to turbo charge this potential," she said.

"In unlocking access to Horizon Europe funds, the UK’s creative sector will now be able to benefit from €170m made available by the new European Knowledge and Innovation Community, which Creative UK co-founded. 

"This initial investment seeks to increase the innovation capacity and competitiveness of Europe’s Cultural and Creative Industries, and is expected to leverage a further €700m for start-ups and innovation.

“The transformative potential of investments such as these are precisely why Creative UK is working tirelessly to ensure the UK’s cultural sector and creative industries continues to play a leading role in global collaboration. 

"As Horizon Europe opens its doors to the UK once more, we will be equally determined in ensuring our creative economy makes the very best of the opportunity today’s agreement represents.”