Over 100 places to see improved access to culture and arts

Access to arts and culture across the country will be transformed with plans to increase and better distribute funding for the sector to previously overlooked or neglected areas.

The aim is to generate more opportunities for people in the regions, with more arts jobs on offer and better access to cultural activities so people do not have to travel as far to see world-class arts.

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport and Arts Council England have jointly said that an additional £75 million will be provided by 2025 to make sure places which have been culturally under-served in the past get a better distribution of arts funding. In total, 109 ‘Levelling Up for Culture Places’ have been identified which will be targeted for additional investment.

Organisations old and new in areas that historically have had low investment in arts and culture will be encouraged to bid for funds, meaning places such as Wolverhampton, Hartlepool, Rotherham, Peterborough and Oldham could be given the extra support they need to build on their rich cultural heritage.

Cultural investment by the government via Arts Council England (ACE) is expected to rise to almost £250 million by 2025 across England outside London. This is the equivalent to a 19 per cent increase by 2025, the final year of the Spending Review period.

Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries said: “I have said from day one in this role my priority is to increase access to arts and culture across the whole country. Today marks a big step in achieving this aim as we shift new cultural investment into places previously at the back of the queue. Culture enriches people’s lives. It entertains us, brings us together and can be a catalyst for regeneration. Everyone should have access to it no matter where they live or what their background.”

The government set out a commitment to raise cultural spending significantly outside of the capital in its Levelling Up White Paper.