£28m of the £40m earmarked for culture and sport in the run-up to the 2012 Olympics will be allocated to cultural activities across the UK. Making the announcement, Culture Minister Tessa Jowell said the funding will leave a lasting legacy across the whole of the UK. The majority of the money in the fund will be spent on cultural projects. Therell be one major arts project, running for five years, and a handful of large grant programmes each year.
The sources of the Olympic cash include the Millennium Commission, Arts Council England, the Big Lottery Fund and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. A new organisation, Legacy Trust UK, is charged with its distribution. The Trust was expected to be established early in 2007, at which point funding programmes were due to be set up, but delays to the timetable have meant that the Trust will not become active until this summer, and funding programmes are not yet in place. Welcoming the funding announcement, Louise de Winter at the National Campaign for the Arts said, The arts sector needs to be funded at a sustainable and consistent level if we are going to be able to put on a show for the 2012 Olympics. This is why we are continuing to take the case to Treasury for a Comprehensive Spending Review settlement that also makes up the shortfall of funds that will be lost from the Lottery.
Published: 21-05-2007