Arts ‘so vital’ in nation’s recovery
THE Government’s £1.57 billion support package for the arts is an acknowledgement that they have an “important” role to play in the nation’s recovery, a theatre boss has said.
Kwame Kwei-Armah, right, the artistic director of the Young Vic, told Times Radio that he and his colleagues are “relieved”.
The move has also been welcomed by the Tate, the Science Museum Group, the National Gallery and the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Kwei-Armah said: “When we heard last night, we slept for the first time since March.
“It is a real vindication that we have been listened to and that the Government understand we were dying on our knees and also that we are an important part of our country’s recovery.
“So we are pleased for this intervention that will hopefully get us from here to April.”
On announcing the package, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “From iconic theatre and musicals, mesmerising exhibitions at our world-class galleries to gigs performed in local basement venues, the UK’s cultural industry is the beating heart of this country. This money will help safeguard the sector for future generations, ensuring arts groups and venues across the UK can stay afloat and support their staff whilst their doors remain closed and curtains remain down.”
The Government added that the money “represents the biggest ever one-off investment in UK culture” and will help struggling institutions “stay afloat while their doors are closed”.
In addition to helping the arts sector, funding will also be provided to restart construction work at cultural and heritage sites paused as a result of the pandemic, the Government said.
Decisions on awards will be made working alongside expert independent figures from the sector.
The £1.15 billion support pot for cultural organisations in England will be made up of £270 million of repayable finance and £880 million of grants.
The funding also includes money for the devolved administrations in Northern Ireland (£33 million), Scotland (£97 million) and Wales (£59 million), the Government said.
Labour shadow culture secretary Jo Stevens said that while she welcomed the “much-needed” cash injection, it was “too little, too late” for many.
She said: “The Government needs to ensure that this vital funding gets to those theatres and other organisations currently teetering on the brink, and fast – especially those across the towns and small cities where live performance venues and other arts organisations are so valuable to local economies, providing many interdependent jobs, particularly in hospitality.”