Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what consideration he has given to establishing UK-wide capital funds and low-interest public loans for acquisition and refurbishment of creative and community spaces.

The Government recognises the important role that creative and community spaces play in towns and cities across the country.

Over the course of this parliament, £1.5 billion will be invested to support arts venues, museums, libraries and heritage buildings across England. It aims to keep venues open, finance urgent repairs and infrastructure projects, bolster long-term resilience, and widen access to arts and culture in communities that have faced under-investment.

The Government is also committed to communities and wants to ensure that they have the tools they need to protect local assets. Our Pride in Place programme is providing up to £5.8bn over 10 years to support 284 places. From saving youth centres and repairing playgrounds, to bringing empty buildings back into community use and expanding affordable after school activities – the Pride in Place programme has been designed to deliver improvements that matter to residents.

More widely, support for culture and the creative industries is a devolved matter. Responsibility for supporting cultural institutions and community spaces in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland therefore rests with the respective devolved government.