Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will take steps with local leaders to establish a Local Visitor Economy Partnership in Bedfordshire in the context of the proposed Universal theme park.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Local Visitor Economy Partnerships (LVEPs) are a vital part of the Government’s strategy to support a more sustainable and resilient visitor economy across England. The LVEP programme, in partnership with VisitEngland, provides a clear framework for collaboration between local leaders, tourism businesses, and national bodies.
VisitEngland continues to work on growing the LVEP network, and stands ready to support areas that meet the criteria and can demonstrate strong local coordination and ambition, including Bedfordshire.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she is taking steps with local authorities in Bedfordshire to plan for increased guest accommodation in the context of the proposed Universal theme park in Bedfordshire.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
DCMS is committed to supporting the sustainable growth of the visitor economy across the country, including in Bedfordshire. Responsibility for local planning and accommodation provision rests with local authorities, but of course DCMS works closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, VisitEngland, and other partners to ensure that areas are equipped to respond to major tourism developments, and will do so as this project develops.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the press release entitled Cuts to red tape to make great British staycations cheaper published on 7 April 2025, what assessment she has made of the potential role of Local Visitor Economy Partnerships in creating local tourism packages.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Local Visitor Economy Partnerships (LVEPs) have an important role to play in supporting the development of local tourism products and packages that meet the needs of visitors and benefit local communities. As business-led and strategically coordinated partnerships, LVEPs are well placed to bring together local stakeholders, such as accommodation providers, attractions, transport operators, and cultural venues to create compelling, joined-up visitor offers.
As part of our Plan for Change, the Government’s reforms announced on 7 April 2025 aim to make it easier for domestic visitors to access high quality ‘staycation’ experiences. These measures complement the work of LVEPs, which are supported by DCMS and VisitEngland, to strengthen destination management, encourage innovation, and drive year-round visitor demand.
Through the LVEP programme, DCMS and VisitEngland will continue to support local areas to develop coordinated visitor experiences that reflect local distinctiveness and deliver economic and social benefits for communities.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer to Question 43757 on Aquariums and Zoos: Tourism, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes to GREAT programme funding on Visit Britain’s work to promote (a) safari parks, (b) zoos and (c) aquariums.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The GREAT Britain & Northern Ireland campaign remains an effective tool in driving economic growth and we will continue to work closely with partners to optimise the campaign’s resources to deliver growth right across the UK. DCMS recognises the importance of the GREAT programme funding in supporting the UK’s international tourism promotion, including the work of VisitBritain to showcase the diverse range of visitor experiences available across the UK. VisitBritain’s latest annual attractions survey for 2023 showed that visits to wildlife parks and zoos increased by 6% from the previous year and will continue to monitor the impact of any changes.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the press release entitled Major investment to boost growth and cement Britain’s place as cultural powerhouse, published on 20 February 2025, whether this funding is additional to funding allocated at the Autumn Budget 2024.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The £270 million Arts Everywhere Fund is made up of multiple funds including the £85 million Creative Foundations Fund and the £20 million Museum Renewal Fund. Full details of these funds can be found on the UK Parliament website here.
The Autumn Budget 2024 set out the new settlements for FY 2025-26 as part of the SR Phase 1. The Arts Everywhere Fund announcement brought together arts programme funding - all of which were included in the overall settlement, as a single strategy. Within the Arts Everywhere Fund are brand new programmes as well as further/new funding rounds for established programmes.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to support increased participation in grassroots rugby.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone, regardless of background, should have access to and benefit from quality sport and physical activity opportunities.
The Government provides the majority of funding for grassroots sport through our Arm’s Length Body, Sport England, which invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding each year. Sport England’s work focuses on increasing participation in sport, including rugby, at grassroots level to give more and better opportunities to all.
Sport England provides long term investment to the Rugby Football Union and Rugby Football League, the National Governing Bodies for rugby. The Rugby Football Union receives £13.9 million from 2022-27 and the Rugby Football League (RFL) receives £11.9 million from 2022-2025 of funding to support grassroots rugby league.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she had made an assessment with Cabinet colleagues of the potential impact of 3G football pitches on the environment.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government is aware of the potential impacts which 3G, or Artificial Grass Pitches (AGPs), have on the environment. The most prominent of these impacts relates to the spread of rubber infill (also known as ‘rubber crumb’) - which contains harmful microplastics - from 3G pitches, into the environment.
It is also important to note though that AGPs currently play a crucial role in getting more people active across the UK. They provide durable, safe, year-round playing surfaces which can sustain up to 80 hours of use per week - significantly more than grass pitches, helping more people to access the benefits of physical activity.
While, currently, there is no clear alternative to rubber crumb, DCMS continues to work closely with DEFRA and the wider sector to help identify a viable long-term solution. This includes the Sheffield Hub Test Site, where the Football Foundation are leading research to pilot a number of alternative infills which have a lower environmental impact, while still delivering safe, high-quality facilities for people to take part in physical activity.
Sport England is also committed to working with partners to mandate - through grant conditions - that Artificial Grass Pitches (AGPs) are recycled when reaching their end of life. To support this, Sport England continues to work with relevant industry partners to increase recycling capacity available to sports providers across the country.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the proposed reduction in funding for the GREAT Britain and Northern Ireland programme on the Starring GREAT Britain campaign.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The GREAT Britain and Northern Ireland campaign has played and continues to play an important role in promoting the UK as a top global destination and supporting growth in the visitor economy. While decisions around the overall GREAT programme budget sit with the Cabinet Office, DCMS continues to work closely with the Minister for the Cabinet Office and other relevant departments to ensure that tourism remains a core focus of the campaign. Discussions are ongoing on how to maximise impact within available resources. We remain committed to working with VisitBritain and the wider sector to support the UK’s international tourism recovery, grow the visitor economy, and deliver on our ambition to attract 50 million inbound visitors by 2030.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the proposed reduction in funding for the GREAT Britain and Northern Ireland programme on the visitor economy.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The GREAT Britain and Northern Ireland campaign has played and continues to play an important role in promoting the UK as a top global destination and supporting growth in the visitor economy. While decisions around the overall GREAT programme budget sit with the Cabinet Office, DCMS continues to work closely with the Minister for the Cabinet Office and other relevant departments to ensure that tourism remains a core focus of the campaign. Discussions are ongoing on how to maximise impact within available resources. We remain committed to working with VisitBritain and the wider sector to support the UK’s international tourism recovery, grow the visitor economy, and deliver on our ambition to attract 50 million inbound visitors by 2030.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the proposed reduction in funding for the GREAT Britain and Northern Ireland programme on VisitBritain.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The GREAT Britain and Northern Ireland campaign has played and continues to play an important role in promoting the UK as a top global destination and supporting growth in the visitor economy. While decisions around the overall GREAT programme budget sit with the Cabinet Office, DCMS continues to work closely with the Minister for the Cabinet Office and other relevant departments to ensure that tourism remains a core focus of the campaign. Discussions are ongoing on how to maximise impact within available resources. We remain committed to working with VisitBritain and the wider sector to support the UK’s international tourism recovery, grow the visitor economy, and deliver on our ambition to attract 50 million inbound visitors by 2030.