Ministers have announced today that £50m will be awarded to a string of culture projects – about half the level of funding promised by the Tories.
In the 2024 Spring Budget, the previous government announced the projects that would be funded through £100m of levelling up culture and capital funding, which it said had been ‘set aside’.
But according to Labour, these projects were ‘unfunded’. The new Government said in the Autumn Budget it was minded to cancel the funding, but said it would consult before making a final decision.
The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has now announced it will spend £50m on seven projects across England and Scotland, which were ‘prioritised’ because of their ‘significant cultural impact and ability to maximise economic growth’.
The MCHLG said the funding had been made possible because of the department’s ‘relentless focus on finding efficiencies and securing value for money’.
The chosen projects include the National Railway Museum in York, the International Slavery Museum and the Maritime Museum in Liverpool, the National Poetry Centre in Leeds and Dundee’s Victoria and Albert Museum.
