Rutland and Melton MP Alicia Kearns has welcomed that thousands of arts organisations will benefit from access to emergency grants and loans through the Government’s new record-breaking £1.57 billion support package.
The support package represents the biggest ever one-off investment in UK culture and will provide a lifeline to local performing arts and theatres, historic places, museums, galleries, live music venues and independent cinemas.
The package announced today includes funding for national cultural institutions in England and investment in cultural and heritage sites to restart construction work paused as a result of the pandemic.
The arts and culture sector has been uniquely hard hit by the pandemic, and the funding will protect these multi-billion pound industries and ensure they remain famous around the world for the future.
Rutland and Melton MP, Alicia Kearns said:
“Our arts and culture are not only vital for the more than 700,000 people they employ, but for their place at the soul of our nation. As a musician and lover of the Arts, I am delighted to have been part of the team who has worked to deliver this enormous support package for theatres and the Arts in my role as Parliamentary Private Secretary to DCMS.
“I recognise the immense challenges the arts have faced throughout the pandemic, and it is right that we protect and preserve all we can for future generations to enjoy.”
This builds on the unprecedented financial assistance the Government has already provided to the UK’s cultural sector through the pandemic, with loans, business rates relief and furlough support. More than 350,000 people in the recreation and leisure sector have been furloughed since the pandemic began.
Alicia Kearns MP continues to work with her colleagues in the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport in her capacity as Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Department to ensure the arts and culture industry is bolstered as the UK heals from COVID-19.
