Culture: Coronavirus

(asked on 15th December 2020) - View Source

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the effect of recently imposed Tier 3 covid-19 restrictions in London on (a) theatres, (b) music venues and (c) galleries and museums in London; and what steps he is taking to support those venues.


Answered by
Caroline Dinenage Portrait
Caroline Dinenage
This question was answered on 11th January 2021

The Government fully recognises the disruptive impact that Coronavirus and restrictions has on the arts, theatre, live music and museums and galleries sectors and the devastating impact that closing events and venues has. The Government continues to work with all its sectors to assess the impact of the tiers and in particular Tier 3 and to develop proposals for how venues can reopen when it is safe to do so.

That is why we have already extended the Job Retention Scheme until March, alongside the unprecedented £1.57bn Culture Recovery package which has already benefited thousands of organisations and the individuals supported by them.

We recognise the impact that closures across the country will have on our vital cultural sector and remain committed to supporting it as it suffers the impact of this virus. The remaining £400m of Culture Recovery Fund grants and loans announced on Friday 11th December will support significant cultural organisations who now face financial distress as a result of closure, as well as helping them transition back to fuller opening in the spring.

The £1bn already committed has supported over 3000 organisations to weather this storm, supporting more than 75,000 jobs, with many more freelancers and jobs in vital supply chain industries also benefitting. Across the arts and heritage recovery grants, repayable finance, and capital awards so far, support for London was approximately £300m.

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