Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what proportion of projects supported through the Better Futures Fund will be delivered through Social Outcomes Partnerships.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
DCMS is currently in the design stages of the Better Futures Fund and is currently consulting with Mayoral Strategic Authorities to assess their capacity for participation in delivery. We anticipate large-scale participation in social outcomes partnerships to commence in 2027 onwards, for which we will engage local commissioners via a dedicated capacity and capability building programme beforehand.
The Better Futures Fund is not yet open for applications. The first phase of bidding is expected to invite bids in Summer 2026 for projects where all partners have a track record of successfully delivering social outcomes partnerships.
The Better Futures Fund is part of a suite of combined measures outlined in the Child Poverty Strategy which support the government’s ambitions to tackle the structural and root causes of poverty for children, young people and their families. The Fund is being designed to fund projects that reduce the short or longer term impacts of poverty on the life chances and outcomes for children.
The Better Futures Fund will primarily fund projects that deliver social outcomes partnerships. The exact proportion will be determined during the application stages.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much of the £500 million allocated to the Better Futures Fund has been committed to projects in (a) the South Basildon and East Thurrock constituency, and (b) Essex.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
DCMS is currently in the design stages of the Better Futures Fund and is currently consulting with Mayoral Strategic Authorities to assess their capacity for participation in delivery. We anticipate large-scale participation in social outcomes partnerships to commence in 2027 onwards, for which we will engage local commissioners via a dedicated capacity and capability building programme beforehand.
The Better Futures Fund is not yet open for applications. The first phase of bidding is expected to invite bids in Summer 2026 for projects where all partners have a track record of successfully delivering social outcomes partnerships.
The Better Futures Fund is part of a suite of combined measures outlined in the Child Poverty Strategy which support the government’s ambitions to tackle the structural and root causes of poverty for children, young people and their families. The Fund is being designed to fund projects that reduce the short or longer term impacts of poverty on the life chances and outcomes for children.
The Better Futures Fund will primarily fund projects that deliver social outcomes partnerships. The exact proportion will be determined during the application stages.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the capacity of local authorities and voluntary sector organisations to design and deliver Social Outcomes Partnerships at scale.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
DCMS is currently in the design stages of the Better Futures Fund and is currently consulting with Mayoral Strategic Authorities to assess their capacity for participation in delivery. We anticipate large-scale participation in social outcomes partnerships to commence in 2027 onwards, for which we will engage local commissioners via a dedicated capacity and capability building programme beforehand.
The Better Futures Fund is not yet open for applications. The first phase of bidding is expected to invite bids in Summer 2026 for projects where all partners have a track record of successfully delivering social outcomes partnerships.
The Better Futures Fund is part of a suite of combined measures outlined in the Child Poverty Strategy which support the government’s ambitions to tackle the structural and root causes of poverty for children, young people and their families. The Fund is being designed to fund projects that reduce the short or longer term impacts of poverty on the life chances and outcomes for children.
The Better Futures Fund will primarily fund projects that deliver social outcomes partnerships. The exact proportion will be determined during the application stages.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has made assessed the risk that the Better Futures Fund will deliver short-term measurable outcomes without addressing the underlying structural causes of child poverty.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
DCMS is currently in the design stages of the Better Futures Fund and is currently consulting with Mayoral Strategic Authorities to assess their capacity for participation in delivery. We anticipate large-scale participation in social outcomes partnerships to commence in 2027 onwards, for which we will engage local commissioners via a dedicated capacity and capability building programme beforehand.
The Better Futures Fund is not yet open for applications. The first phase of bidding is expected to invite bids in Summer 2026 for projects where all partners have a track record of successfully delivering social outcomes partnerships.
The Better Futures Fund is part of a suite of combined measures outlined in the Child Poverty Strategy which support the government’s ambitions to tackle the structural and root causes of poverty for children, young people and their families. The Fund is being designed to fund projects that reduce the short or longer term impacts of poverty on the life chances and outcomes for children.
The Better Futures Fund will primarily fund projects that deliver social outcomes partnerships. The exact proportion will be determined during the application stages.
Mar. 30 2026
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Source Page: Gambling Levy Transition FundAsked by: Baroness Debbonaire (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to ways to support the BBC’s work in relation to classical music, particularly in relation to young musicians.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The BBC continues to hold a uniquely important role as a cornerstone of the whole of the UK’s creative economy, including playing an important role in the provision of music.
As part of the Charter Review process, the Government is looking at how the BBC can best use its significant public funding to act differently to other broadcasters and prioritise genres and activities that would otherwise be underserved by the market. We are considering options to ensure that the BBC drives opportunities and good jobs across the UK, including in the creative sector and the arts.