Arts organisations across the UK stand to receive a one-off cash injection from the government.
Music venues, theatres and arts institutions across the UK will receive £1.5 billion of support from the government. The extra funding follows a weeks-long campaign by those working in music, theatre and the arts which highlighted the danger many arts organisations faced without further government assistance.
The package, which includes £880 million of grants, plus a further £270 million in loans, represents the biggest one-off investment in UK culture, according to the government. £120 million will be spent on restarting construction on cultural infrastructure. Extra money will also be made available for devolved governments with £97 million for Scotland, £59 million for Wales and £33 million for Northern Ireland.
Reaction to the announcement has been positive, though many working in culture remained cautious. In a statement on its website, The Music Venue Trust “warmly welcome[d] this unprecedented intervention into Britain’s world class live music scene.” However, the shadow culture secretary Jo Stevens highlighted that the package will be “too little too late” for some organisations.
“It needs to reach theatres teetering on the brink fast,” Stevens said on Twitter. “Especially those across the towns and small cities where venues and arts orgs are so vital to local economies providing many interdependent jobs.” Stevens also called on the government to “extend the furlough scheme to those in the creative sector who cannot work while venues stay closed.”
Alongside the announcement, Boris Johnson also stated that the government will publish a reopening timeline for businesses that are still closed – such as music venues and theatres – this week.