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

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent steps he has to support the arts in the West Midlands.

Over the last 18 months, Arts Council England (ACE) has invested over £87 million into arts projects and organisations in the West Midlands. This has included £5 million to develop the Dance Hub Birmingham, with £3 million for the creation of a production and administrative space, and the remaining £2 million supporting additional dance activity, firmly placing Birmingham on the map as a national and international centre for dance. ACE has also invested £5 million of National Lottery Funding in Coventry UK City of Culture 2021, which will support the Coventry City of Culture Trust in delivering a year of cultural events and celebrations across the city.