The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has announced that over 100 locations in England, outside of London, will be prioritised for new arts funding.
The plans have been revealed with the aim to better distribute funding to previously overlooked or neglected areas.
An additional £75m ($99.8m/€89.6m) will be provided by 2025 with the further aim of generating more opportunities for people, including jobs in the arts and access to cultural activities.
Cultural investment will come via Arts Council England (ACE) and is expected to rise to almost £250m by 2025 across England, outside of London.
ACE will oversee the distribution of the funds, with communities such as Wolverhampton, Hartlepool, Rotherham, Peterborough and Oldham among the locations to be offered support.
The move is part of the Conservative Government’s ‘Levelling Up’ initiative, with ACE and DCMS identifying 109 ‘Levelling Up for Culture Places’ across the country.
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 is.”
Arts Council England chair Sir Nicholas Serota added: “The Arts Council welcomes this increase in funding from the Government.
“It will enable more people in more places to reap the benefits of arts and culture and will accelerate our commitment to parts of the country that deserve more investment.
“We will be able to do more to nurture new creative talent, support work that makes us healthier and happier, renew our high streets and, above all, ensure that everyone, everywhere has the opportunity of a rich cultural and creative life.”
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