Government climbs down on music venues’ bills hike
The government has promised pubs and music venues a 15% business rates discount, after nearly 50 of Labour’s 404 MPs demanded a U-…
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DCMS to spend £1.5bn in ‘serious’ uplift to capital funding
A “bumper” £1.5 billion package will “restore national pride” and save more than 1,000 arts venues, museums, and libraries from c…
Bradford’s success proves civic value of our arts boost, says DCMS minister
Culture minister Ian Murray has diagnosed the “number one issue in the country at the moment” to be a lack of “community spirit”….
Museums and galleries’ financial shift drives DCMS underspend
Financial management of state-sponsored museums and galleries, including increased reliance on visitor income and reserves, was a…
Artists’ studio founder faced countless ‘rejections’ when first seeking philanthropy
The co-founder of a charity providing artists with workspace has said “private introductions” from big name creatives helped his o…
London’s creative districts win slice of more than £2m in mayoral investment
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan is to channel £2.2 million of funding into the capital’s Creative Enterprise Zones (CEZs), with the su…
Cardiff castle to close for vital conservation works
A “treasured part” of Wales’ “national story” is to close for three months as it undergoes essential conservation work. St Fagans…
Scottish performing companies demand meeting with finance secretary over ‘baffling’ budget
The Federation of Scottish Theatres (FST) has called on the Scottish government to increase culture funding to 1% of its total bud…
Manchester museum ‘positive’ in wake of staffing restructure
The People’s History Museum is “entering 2026 with a positive outlook”, despite accounts revealing an “extremely challenging…
Unlocking potential: Investment finance at work for culture
After securing a further £10 million in repayable loans for the UK’s cultural and creative sector, Figurative’s Fran Sanderso…
Business rates rise will menace venues ‘incubating British talent’
Communities could lose their “only form of cultural provision” if Chancellor Rachel Reeves pursues increases to business rates, a…
Museum Wales leader warns of sector expertise ‘lost’ to cuts
The chief executive of Museum Wales has said we “need to be talking about” the threat of specialisms “lost forever” within the sec…
West Yorkshire venues to make ‘meaningful’ access upgrades with £230k in funding
Improvements to creative and cultural spaces across West Yorkshire will “break down barriers” facing disabled artists and audience…
Royal Court bolsters reserves ahead of 70th anniversary year
The Royal Court Theatre has set aside more than £900,000 to a fund that supports its right to “artistically fail”, its most recen…
Birmingham museums charity sees income drop by nearly 6%
One of the country’s largest museum families has reported a 5.9% decrease in income in the most recent financial year, in accounts…
National Theatre staffing costs soar by roughly £13m in two years
The National Theatre (NT) spent more than £50 million on staffing costs in the last tax year, as the organisation’s annual acco…
Sinfonia Smith Square moves closer to concert hall renewal
Classical music concert hall Sinfonia Smith Square has received £500,000 to support its £22 million capital works project. The i…
ACE touring scheme to put 15 productions on the road
Some £2.5 million worth of repayable grants will help producers “take outstanding shows to more venues and audiences than ever be…
ACE taking legal action over ‘dual funding’, Covid fraud report reveals
Arts Council England (ACE) has recovered £8.5 million of “dual funding” related to the culture recovery fund (CRF), where org…
People power: Collective philanthropy for museums
How do small acts of generosity, coupled with targeted investment, become a movement? Arts Fund’s Alice Regent shares her reflec…
Creative Scotland welcomes 13 organisations to multi-year funding portfolio
Creative Scotland has expanded its multi-year funding (MYF) portfolio with the addition of 13 arts organisations thanks to support…
ACE’s Covid loan book analysis at risk of ‘inconsistent’ approaches, evaluation reveals
A report into the £474 million loan book established by Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) in response to the Covid-1…
Fringe Society foresees festival contributions of £6.5m to Edinburgh tourist tax
Research conducted by the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society suggests audiences, artists, the arts industry and visiting media will…
ACE launches fund to redistribute £2m allocated to former NPO
Arts Council England (ACE) has unveiled a new £2 million scheme to support the ambitions of Black, Asian and ethnically diverse t…
