Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport

Live music venues are vital to the UK’s music culture, offering emerging artists a platform, supporting local economies and creative jobs, and giving thousands the joy of live music up close. That is why we are committed to working with the sector to support the sustainability of the entire live music ecosystem.

The Government’s Creative Industries Sector Plan, published in June, announced our Music Growth Package of up to £30m over three years from 2026, which more than doubles previous funding. This package will strengthen grassroots infrastructure (including grassroots music venues), support emerging artists and music professionals, and boost exports, breaking down barriers to success at home and abroad.

In advance of this, the Government is also providing £2.5m of funding for the Arts Council England’s (ACE) Supporting Grassroots Music Fund for 2025/26. This enables grassroots music venues, recording studios, promoters and festivals to apply for grants of up to £40,000 to develop new revenue streams, make repairs and improvements, and enhance the live music experience for fans.

To further support grassroots music venues, the Government and the live music industry are working together to drive progress on an industry-led levy on tickets for stadium and arena shows. We welcome commitments by artists and the wider industry to implement the ticket levy, and steps taken by industry to set up a charitable trust to distribute funds from the levy.

The Government is transforming the business rates system to create a fairer system, co-designed with stakeholders from the creative sectors. To support these industries, we are introducing permanently lower business rates multipliers for Retail, Hospitality, and Leisure (RHL) premises with rateable values under £500k, starting in 2026/27. As a bridge to this permanent change, we have extended the 40% RHL business rates relief for 2025-26.

According to Sport England’s Active Places database, as of December 2025 there are 59,794 grass football pitches and 6,634 artificial grass pitches in England. In Greater Manchester, there are 1,796 grass football pitches and 380 artificial grass pitches. In Oldham, there are 113 grass football pitches and 30 artificial grass pitches.

The Government is investing £98m in grassroots facilities across the UK through the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme in 2025/26, funding projects such as new artificial grass pitches, grass pitch improvements and pitch maintenance equipment.

Three board members are already in place at the IFR. A robust, transparent process to recruit a further four appointees, to complement the existing talent, opened on 12 November. Applications are due on 10 December and the full details are on the public appointments pages of Gov.uk:

https://apply-for-public-appointment.service.gov.uk/roles/8938?titleSearch=football&body=&regulated=&bodyJustice=&remunerated=&status=open&sort=openingAt%3Adesc

The Government is determined to ensure that everyone has access to quality sport and physical activity opportunities. That is why we have committed £400 million to transform facilities across the whole of the UK following the Spending Review. We are now working closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what communities need and will then set out further plans. I have met with the Lawn Tennis Association, the National Governing Body for tennis and padel, along with representatives from other other sports, to discuss this. I visited Barnsley Padel Club last month to discuss local padel provision and open their new court.

The Government provides the majority of support for grassroots sport in England through Sport England, which annually invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding. This includes long term investment in the Lawn Tennis Association and Badminton England, which receive up to £14.5 million and £14 million for seven years from 2022 to 2029 to invest in community tennis, padel and badminton initiatives that will benefit as many people as possible.

Each Young Futures Hub will meet three outcomes of increasing opportunities, improving mental health and wellbeing, and reducing crime.

We are collaborating with DHSC, NHS England, and health partners to ensure Young Futures Hubs meet young people's emerging needs, providing early mental health and wellbeing support. Early Support Hubs built the evidence base for next year's Young Futures Hubs, with evaluation findings directly informing the programme.

The Early Support Hubs were initially funded through the Shared Outcomes Fund in the 2024/25 financial year. The programme has since been extended for a further year to 2025/26.

DCMS recognises the value and expertise of the National Churches Trust in supporting the protection of historic places of worship.

Baroness Twycross, the Minister for Heritage, is open to meeting with the National Churches Trust. The Department has engaged in various meetings with representatives of the sector, including the National Churches Trust, throughout the year, and the Minister looks forward to continuing this important dialogue.

The Department supports the conservation of historic places of worship, including those at risk, through several channels.

The Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme was extended for a further year in January 2025 to March 2026, with a £23 million budget. This scheme helps religious organisations reclaim the VAT costs of eligible repairs and renovations, which supports the conservation of these vital heritage and community assets.

In exceptional circumstances, listed places of worship may be eligible for Heritage at Risk funding provided by Historic England. In addition, the Department funded the £15 million Heritage At Risk Capital Fund in the 2025/26 financial year. Out of 37 projects awarded funding through this capital fund, 4 were places of worship, receiving a total of £1,387,842 for their conservation projects.

DCMS Ministers received advice on changes to the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme, including consideration of the potential impact on introducing an annual cap of £25,000 per place of worship for the 2025/26 financial year.

The changes to the scheme were necessary given the level of fiscal challenges we inherited and the pressures on other parts of the heritage and cultural sectors. Based on the Department’s analysis of previous data, 94% of applications will be unaffected by the change, as most claims are under £5,000.

Civil Service sickness absence reports, which provide statistics for sickness absence by organisation and sickness reason, including Mental Ill-Health, are published on an annual basis. The publication of the 2025 report is currently planned for 18 December 2025.

These annual reports can be found by following the link below:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/sickness-absence

Consumers who book short-term let accommodation through online platforms are currently protected through the consumer provisions of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 and the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act (DMCCA) 2024.

The DMCCA prohibits unfair commercial practices, including misleading actions and omissions, that are likely to impact the average consumer’s transactional decisions. Traders who engage in commercial practices that are misleading omissions, or misleading actions may be committing a criminal offence. The DMCC Act 2024 also clarifies that online marketplaces must exercise professional diligence in relation to consumer transactions promoted or made on their platforms.

The Government is also delivering a national mandatory registration scheme for short-term lets. This will help to raise standards of accommodation in the Visitor Economy in the UK, building consumer confidence and supporting fair competition. DCMS has engaged with a wide range of stakeholders, including booking platforms and consumers, to ensure a light-touch scheme that is fair, effective and robust.

We recognise the challenges that museums, theatres and cultural venues face, including rising energy costs. The Government is committed to supporting these sectors, and that’s why we announced the Arts Everywhere Fund earlier this year which will commit over £270 million to support arts and cultural venues to carry out urgent repairs, upgrade infrastructure and improve financial resilience. As part of that, through the £85 million Creative Foundations Fund, and the £25 million Museum Estate and Development Fund, theatres, museums, galleries and other arts and cultural venues can access grants to address urgent issues with their estates. This includes works to improve the energy efficiency, cost-effectiveness and environmental performance of their buildings and equipment, ensuring their infrastructure is fit for future generations to benefit from.

The department regularly assesses pressures faced by sectors for which ministers are responsible. Recognising that our regional museums - many of which run multiple sites or large estates - are facing increased operating costs, the government has introduced a new, £20 million Museum Renewal Fund this year.

The government has also kept in place improved tax reliefs on theatre productions (via the Theatre Tax Relief), which helps theatres better absorb rising running costs. Since April 2025, theatres, orchestras and museums and galleries have benefited from higher tax relief rates of 40 percent for non-touring productions, and 45 percent for orchestral and touring productions. Museums and Galleries Exhibition tax relief was also made permanent.

On top of tax reliefs, we support arts and culture through the 2023-2027 Arts Council England National Portfolio Investment Programme, and National Lottery Project Grants. This funding has provided over £570 million in 2024/25 to theatres, museums and cultural venues across the country, of all shapes and sizes.

DCMS will continue to engage constructively across the arts and cultural sectors to monitor the impact of rising energy costs.

The Equality Act 2010 sets out the core legal obligations for cultural venues in the UK regarding disability access. Under this Act, venues must implement "reasonable adjustments" to ensure disabled individuals are not disadvantaged. These adjustments cover both physical modifications, such as installing ramps and accessible toilets, and changes to services and policies. The latter includes provisions like permitting assistance dogs, offering information in formats that are accessible, and providing aids like sign language interpretation or audio description. DCMS-funded Capital funds, including the Museum Estate and Development Fund, the Public Bodies Infrastructure Fund, and the DCMS/Wolfson Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund all fund renovations across major cultural institutions designed to repair and modernise buildings, including improvements to access and interpretation for visitors with disabilities.

The Creative Foundations Fund is a major government investment supporting arts and cultural organisations across England to resolve urgent issues with their estates. The Creative Foundations Fund has a specific aim relating to access, supporting capital projects that address equality and accessibility issues to provide independent access for disabled people and welcome users with diverse needs such as but not limited to: improvements to surfaces such as paths, landscaping, such as level or ramped access or level drop-off points near entrances, installing Changing Places facilities or increasing provision of accessible, ambulant disabled, or gender-neutral toilets and installing signage that meets best practice guidelines.

The government primarily supports the arts and cultural projects through Arts Council England (ACE). DCMS is supporting ACE and the other arts councils in the UK and the Republic of Ireland to develop All In - an access scheme dedicated to removing barriers and improving the experience of deaf, disabled, and neurodivergent people when attending creative and cultural events. All In aims to increase overall attendance by making it easier for people with access requirements to find and book tickets, while also developing standards for creativity and culture that promote quality and consistency across the UK and Ireland; all supported by training and skills development.

We recognise that whistleblowing can play an important role in holding charities to account. Charity workers have protections the same as a worker in any sector and are also able to make disclosures to the Charity Commission about their charity. While volunteers, including charity trustees, do not have the same statutory whistleblowing protections as workers, the Department considers the current protections for those who make whistleblowing disclosures, regardless of their status, to be appropriate. The Charity Commission treats whistleblowing disclosures by volunteers and trustees in the same way as disclosures by workers. The Department has no plans to review whistleblowing protections for volunteers or others involved in the governance of charities.

We recognise that whistleblowing can play an important role in holding charities to account. Charity workers have protections the same as a worker in any sector and are also able to make disclosures to the Charity Commission about their charity. While volunteers, including charity trustees, do not have the same statutory whistleblowing protections as workers, the Department considers the current protections for those who make whistleblowing disclosures, regardless of their status, to be appropriate. The Charity Commission treats whistleblowing disclosures by volunteers and trustees in the same way as disclosures by workers. The Department has no plans to review whistleblowing protections for volunteers or others involved in the governance of charities.

The Government recognises the importance of ensuring public access to leisure facilities which are vital spaces for people of all ages to stay fit and healthy, and which play an important role within communities.

The ongoing responsibility of providing access to public leisure facilities lies at local authority level with funding levels set as part of the Local Government Finance Settlement. The Government encourages local authorities to make investments which offer the right opportunities and facilities for the communities they serve, investing in sport and physical activity with a place-based approach, to meet the needs of individual communities.

In June, we committed another £400 million to transform sports facilities across the whole of the UK over the next four years, supporting the Government's Plan for Change. We are working closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what communities need, before setting out further plans on how future funding will be allocated.

Increasing support for young people to improve opportunities is a shared mission across Government. The National Youth Strategy led by DCMS and co-designed by young people and the youth sector, will set a cross-government direction for the next decade to provide young people with the skills, opportunities, and connections to enable them to thrive. It is the first cross-government strategy for young people in England in 20 years.

We have regularly engaged with Cabinet colleagues to develop this Strategy. The Strategy will be published later this year.

The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone should have access to, and benefit from, quality sport and physical activity opportunities, regardless of who they are.

In England, the Government provides the majority of funding for grassroots sports through our Arm’s Length Body, Sport England, which annually invests over £250 million.

Sport England's ten-year Uniting the Movement strategy reinforces its commitment to increasing participation in sport and physical activity for those from under-represented groups, including disabled people. Sport England has ensured that each of their programmes impact directly on disabled people and those with a long-term health condition, with initiatives like the 'We are Undefeatable' campaign and partnerships with Disability Rights UK, Activity Alliance, Aspire, and Sense.

The Government is also committed to supporting a wide range of grassroots sports. This is why we are taking a place-based approach to increasing sport participation that ensures communities can participate in the sports they enjoy and get active in ways that work for them.

To support this, in June, we announced that following the Spending Review at least £400 million is going to be invested into new and upgraded grassroots sport facilities in communities right across the UK. As part of this funding, 40% of projects across the UK will be required to benefit a sport other than football, including netball, basketball and rugby league. We are now working closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what communities need and will then set out further plans.

The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone should have access to, and benefit from, quality sport and physical activity opportunities, regardless of who they are.

In England, the Government provides the majority of funding for grassroots sports through our Arm’s Length Body, Sport England, which annually invests over £250 million.

Sport England's ten-year Uniting the Movement strategy reinforces its commitment to increasing participation in sport and physical activity for those from under-represented groups, including disabled people. Sport England has ensured that each of their programmes impact directly on disabled people and those with a long-term health condition, with initiatives like the 'We are Undefeatable' campaign and partnerships with Disability Rights UK, Activity Alliance, Aspire, and Sense.

The Government is also committed to supporting a wide range of grassroots sports. This is why we are taking a place-based approach to increasing sport participation that ensures communities can participate in the sports they enjoy and get active in ways that work for them.

To support this, in June, we announced that following the Spending Review at least £400 million is going to be invested into new and upgraded grassroots sport facilities in communities right across the UK. As part of this funding, 40% of projects across the UK will be required to benefit a sport other than football, including netball, basketball and rugby league. We are now working closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what communities need and will then set out further plans.

The records cited in the Foreign Affairs Committee’s oral evidence session on the Work of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (HC 385, 3 November 2025, Q282) can be viewed at The National Archives under references PREM 49/3326 and PREM 49/2771.

Additionally, a copy of PREM 49/3326 is available digitally on The National Archives’ website.

In the 2025-2026 financial year, Sport England has allocated a total of £165,325 across 17 multi-sport awards where Futsal is specifically included as one of the supported sports or activities.

In addition, Sport England is providing a total investment of £37.9 million into The Football Association over the five-year period from 2022 to 2027. This long-term commitment supports the development of all formats of football, including Futsal.

The Prime Minister and Secretary of State believe public service broadcasting, and the BBC in particular, are vital British assets that contribute to our national life, and help to shape and define our nation. The Secretary State meets with the BBC leadership regularly to discuss a range of issues.

It is important that the licence fee is used efficiently and the BBC must ensure it is delivering value for audiences. However, as an independent organisation, the BBC’s spending decisions are a matter for the BBC. The Government recognises the BBC faces funding pressures, and we will consider how we fund the BBC sustainably as part of the Charter Review.

The UK has a self-regulatory system for the press, which is independent from Government. This is vital to ensure the public has access to accurate and trustworthy information from a range of different sources. The Government therefore does not intervene in or evaluate the work of IPSO.

However, under Section 179 of the Data Protection Act every three years the Secretary of State must lay before Parliament a report on the use and effectiveness of alternative dispute resolution procedures, such as arbitration, in cases involving a failure or alleged failure by relevant media organisations to comply with data protection legislation. The most recent report was presented to Parliament in May 2024 and was carried independently of DCMS by David Rossington, as the Independent Reviewer. The report is published on the Gov.uk website: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/67d2ded5fb8db2176d5e97d0/Formatted_240312_SECOND_REPORT_UNDER_SECTION_179_OF_THE_DATA_PROTECTION_ACT_v3__FINAL__accessible.pdf.

While culture is a devolved policy area, the department works closely with its Arm’s Length Body, the British Film Institute (BFI), and the devolved governments on a range of funding and initiatives for the film industry - including in Northern Ireland. This includes the UK-wide screen sector tax reliefs, as well as the £75 million Screen Growth Package announced in the Creatives Industries Sector Plan.

DCMS will continue to work with the Northern Ireland Executive to support culture and creativity in Northern Ireland - particularly through the Belfast Cluster as an anchor location creating opportunities for businesses and talent. This includes continued annual funding from the UK government to NI Screen to support the Irish Language and Ulster-Scots Broadcast Funds.

Through their National Lottery programmes, the BFI will also continue to support the screen sector in Northern Ireland - particularly through the dedicated Northern Ireland Screen fund. The British Film Commission (BFC), a national body supported by funding from DCMS, also supports and promotes UK-wide film and high-end television production and works in close partnership with the national and regional screen agencies.

The government recognises the hugely important role that cinemas play in the UK's film industry, in our local communities, and in driving economic growth. While we have seen some positive signs in the UK’s box office figures in recent years, we recognise that it has been a difficult time in the sector with box office returns remaining around 70% of pre-pandemic levels.

As part of our support for the cinema sector, we are introducing new permanently lower tax rates for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure (RHL) properties. Through our Independent Film Tax Credit we are also bolstering the slate of films entering cinemas. Furthermore, the British Film Institute, as an Arm’s Length Body of government, supports cinemas and audiences across the UK, including through its Film Audience Network (BFI FAN) and the use of National Lottery funding. This includes research into changing audience habits, such as with their Wider World of Film (2024) report. We continue to engage with the British Film Institute and other sector bodies on how to ensure a strong and successful future for the cinema sector.

The Charity Commission for England and Wales publishes guidance for charities on a range of subjects, including reporting serious wrongdoing at a charity as a worker or volunteer.

While volunteers, including charity trustees, do not have the same statutory whistleblowing protections as workers, the Charity Commission treats whistleblowing disclosures by volunteers and trustees in the same way as disclosures by workers.

The Government is committed to making the UK the best place in the world to produce video games. We recognise the high growth potential of the sector, and are committed to improving its access to finance.

This is why, as part of the Creative Industries Sector Plan, we have committed £30 million over the next three years for the Games Growth Package, which includes a significant expansion of the UK Games Fund which will continue to provide grants to early-stage studios across the UK to develop prototypes and new intellectual property, and run development programmes for new graduates.

The tax reliefs offered to video games companies continue to make the UK one of the best places in the world to make video games. Our Video Games Expenditure Credit ensures that this highly skilled and innovative industry is able to thrive and the government will continue to work with stakeholders to ensure its continued effectiveness.

Also outlined in the Creative Industries Sector Plan was a significant increase in support from the British Business Bank (BBB) and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). The BBB is committing an additional £4 billion of Industrial Strategy Growth Capital to support investment and growth in the eight priority Industrial Strategy sectors, including the creative industries, while UKRI will lead efforts to significantly increase public funding for the creative sectors, including support for commercialisation and tech adoption.

This Government is committed to introducing new protections for consumers on ticket resales, and on 19th November we published our response to our consultation on live event ticket resales and call for evidence on pricing practices in the sector.

Our consultation response sets out that we intend to to take forward the following measures:

• A price cap prohibiting the resale of a live events ticket for more than the original ticket cost.

• A cap on service fees charged by ticket platforms on resales.

• Resale volume limits prohibiting people from reselling more tickets than they were entitled to purchase in the primary sale.

• Strict legal obligations on platforms to ensure compliance with the price cap.

• Enforcement of the above measures by the Competition and Markets Authority and other public enforcers through Part 3 of the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024.

We will bring forward legislation to enact these measures when parliamentary time allows.

The Department offers support for the protection and preservation of historic places of worship through the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme, which in January 2025 was extended for a further year to March 2026 with a £23 million budget. This scheme allows religious organisations to reclaim the VAT costs of eligible repairs and renovations, recognising the vital heritage and community role of these sites.

Furthermore, DCMS arm's length bodies provide additional funding. The National Lottery Heritage Fund is committing around £100 million between 2023 and 2026 to help secure the future of places of worship across the UK. This includes £15 million dedicated to large-scale projects aimed at enhancing the heritage sector's sustainability and security. A further £85 million is expected to be awarded through National Lottery Heritage Grants over the next three years to improve the condition of places of worship and help develop the necessary skills for their future preservation.

In exceptional circumstances, some listed places of worship may also be eligible for Heritage at Risk funding provided by Historic England. In addition, the Department funded a Heritage At Risk Capital Fund in 2025/26 and of 37 projects awarded funding, 4 were places of worship receiving £1,387,842 in total.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport does not hold information on the value of artworks that may have been sold by local authorities since 2010, as local authorities are responsible for the management of their own assets, which are held and displayed in a variety of ways. The Museums Association provides clear guidance to the sector on responsible collections management and the acquisition and disposal of collections. These guidelines, endorsed by major sector organisations, prohibit financially motivated disposals of museum artefacts.

The government is committed to working collaboratively with councils, as co-funders of culture. As the government’s recent Pride in Place strategy makes clear, communities deserve vibrant public spaces, and the government is investing new money in shared community assets, including through our £20 million Museum Renewal Fund, supporting regional museums to improve public access to Collections.

The Gambling Commission, the regulator for the National Lottery and an arm’s-length body of DCMS, publishes annual data on National Lottery participation rates, including a breakdown by sex, age and region.

A regional breakdown of lottery grant recipients can be found on the National lottery grant database: https://nationallottery.dcms.gov.uk/data. Further analysis on funding is carried out by the twelve lottery distributing bodies, who are independent of Government.

Under its Royal Charter, the BBC has a duty ‘to provide impartial news and information to help people understand and engage with the world around them’. In delivering on that duty, the BBC is independent from the government. It is the responsibility of Ofcom, as the BBC’s independent regulator, to hold the BBC to account for delivering on its Mission and Public Purposes, including due impartiality. Ofcom regularly reports on BBC performance, including in its annual reports on the BBC.

The government expects the BBC to uphold the highest editorial standards and to report the news accurately and impartially. The upcoming Charter Review will consider how best to ensure the BBC continues to deliver the high standards of reporting that the public expect of a national broadcaster.

Increasing support for young people to improve opportunities is a shared mission across Government. The National Youth Strategy led by DCMS and co-designed by young people and the youth sector, will set a cross-government direction for the next decade to provide young people with the skills, opportunities, and connections to enable them to thrive. It is the first cross-government strategy for young people in England in 20 years.

We have regularly engaged with Cabinet colleagues to develop this Strategy, including with the Department for Education and with the Department for Work and Pensions on the Youth Guarantee.

We recognise audio production and podcasts as part of the Creative Industries. Our statistical definition uses the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) and includes economic activities of sound recording and music publishing (code 5920). Audio production and the recording of podcasts are included in this activity.

Our Creative Industries Sector Plan, published in June, highlighted the importance of good data and our ambitions to improve recognition of CI activity in official statistics. DCMS has submitted proposed changes to the industrial classification, in consultation with industry, to the ONS as part of their public consultation to review and create an updated UK SIC. If the proposal is accepted this will improve the distinction of podcast and other sound recording activities from music activities. Following the 14 November submission deadline, the ONS is currently reviewing all submitted proposals and is due to finalise the new SIC2026 classification by the end of March 2026. DCMS will then review the Creative Industries definition to incorporate new codes.

Following the Licensing taskforce report, the Government published a Call for Evidence on reforming the licensing system which closed on 6 November. The Call for Evidence invited views on the impact of licensing reforms, including in relation to Recommendation 4 of the taskforce on ending the requirement for printed statutory notices in local newspapers for alcohol licences. The reforms collectively aim to create a modern, proportionate, and enabling system that supports economic growth, revitalises high streets and fosters vibrant communities.

More broadly, the Government is concerned about the sustainability of local journalism and DCMS is developing a Local Media Strategy, in recognition of the importance of this vital sector. We also recognise that local press and statutory notices in particular continue to play a central role in keeping communities informed about decisions that affect local services and amenities.

Additionally, the sector’s Public Notice Portal is a welcome innovation, taking advantage of print publishers’ growing digital audiences and providing a centralised resource for all types of public notice. We also welcome the Portal's current expansion to include archive and consultation functions to help public bodies and commercial entities engage with the public more effectively.

DCMS is monitoring the progress of the Portal, and the effect that it has on the audience reach of statutory notices. This type of industry innovation and collaboration is integral to securing the sector’s future. It will be taken into account in our planned review of statutory notices as part of the Local Media Strategy, which will more broadly consider the merits of making changes to existing requirements to place statutory notices in print local newspapers, including the impact this has on local transparency and the newspaper industry. The review will also take forward final decisions on the future of alcohol licence notices. More will be announced on the Strategy and the review in due course.

The government’s Creative Industries Sector Plan, published in June, announced our Music Growth Package of up to £30m over three years from 2026. This package will strengthen grassroots infrastructure (including grassroots music venues), support emerging artists and music professionals, and boost exports, breaking down barriers to success at home and abroad.

In advance of this, the Government is also providing £2.5m of continued funding for the Arts Council England’s (ACE) Supporting Grassroots Music Fund (SGMF) for 2025-26. This enables grassroots music venues, recording studios, promoters and festivals to apply for grants of up to £40,000 to develop new revenue streams, make repairs and improvements, and enhance the live music experience for fans.

ACE has made a number of SGMF awards within the wider county of Surrey, including to the Phoenix Cultural Centre, which has received two SGMF awards and three rounds of Cultural Recovery Funding, and the Guildford Jazz Community.

To further support grassroots music venues, the Government and the live music industry are working together to drive progress on an industry-led levy on tickets for stadium and arena shows. We welcome commitments by artists and the wider industry to implement the ticket levy, and steps taken by industry to set up a charitable trust to distribute funds from the levy.

The measures we have announced relating to ticket resales will protect consumers and improve fans’ access to live events, while ensuring that people have a safe and secure means to resell tickets. They will also ensure that revenue flows back into the live events sector, supporting our world-leading Creative Industries as set out in our Industrial Strategy.

The impact on those attending live events will be set out in an impact assessment to be published alongside the legislation to introduce these measures. We will legislate when parliamentary time allows.

The strong evidence from UK City of Culture shows that supporting local culture pays both economic and social dividends. Town of Culture is a new competition to ensure smaller places across the UK can share in the real impact by shining a spotlight on places and enabling them to tell their story. The winner of the new Town of Culture competition will receive £3.5 million and, for the first time ever, I have confirmed from the outset that the City of Culture winner will receive £10 million.

My officials have been in talks with the Natural History Museum on this issue. The Museum hopes to resume sales to Northern Ireland during 2026.

This is a matter for the BBC, whose lawyers are now dealing with the issue. The BBC is independent of the UK government and so it is a matter for them and the US President.

This is a matter for the BBC, whose lawyers are now dealing with the issue. The BBC is independent of the UK government and so it is a matter for them and the US President.

In our Creative Industries Sector Plan DCMS set out how the TV market is transforming, including where the convergence of broadcast, on-demand and video sharing markets is leading to greater consolidation as broadcasters and streaming services seek economies of scale and other strategic advantages. That is why we have committed to supporting our domestic TV companies, including our public service media, to ensure UK viewers continue to benefit from a wide range of high quality original programming. We will also ask the Competition and Markets Authority, working with Ofcom, to set out how changes in the sector could be taken into account as part of any future assessment of the television and advertising markets.

Ofcom, by law, carries out its duties independently of the Government. Ofcom has an ongoing duty, under the Broadcasting Acts 1990 and 1996, to be satisfied that any person holding a broadcasting licence is, and remains, fit and proper to hold those licences. Ofcom can revoke a licence if it ceases to be satisfied that this is the case. In making a fit and proper assessment, Ofcom can consider all relevant circumstances, including the broadcaster’s own conduct, and the behaviour of people who exercise material influence or control over the broadcaster. This could include criminal behaviour or links to proscribed organisations.

My department has been co-producing a new National Youth Strategy with young people from all backgrounds, including those in rural areas from low socio-economic backgrounds, and we are committed to giving all young people the chance to reach their full potential The Strategy will support better coordination of youth services across different regions, including rural areas and move away from one-size-fits-all approaches. This includes enhancing access to high-quality enrichment opportunities through an enrichment expansion programme, which will invest £22.5 million across 3 years to support up to 400 schools to provide a youth-voice led and tailored extracurricular enrichment offer.

By doing so we are providing a voice for all young people and their communities to help rebuild the youth and extra-curricular provision throughout the country.