Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of developing a dedicated investment mechanism to mobilise public and private capital for cultural infrastructure and creative industries in economically underperforming regions.

The Government recognises the potential for targeted investment to strengthen cultural infrastructure and stimulate regional growth. The 2025 Creative Industries Sector Plan identifies twelve city regions and creative clusters with the highest potential for growth, including six MSAs - the North East, Liverpool City Region, Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, West of England and West Midlands - who have each received £25m to support local creative sector growth as part of the £150 million Creative Places Growth Fund.

Public funding acts as a vital foundation for cultural infrastructure as well as an effective catalyst to unlock private investment. We are supporting cultural venues through a £1.5 billion capital Arts Everywhere investment package, including up to £425 million through the Creative Foundations Fund to support arts venues to address urgent infrastructure needs. Programmes like the Creative Foundations Fund require a minimum funding contribution from other income sources, promoting a mixed model of investment.

Earlier this year, we also announced 81 Culture Priority Places, areas of the country in which we will focus public investment and engagement to ensure the benefits of arts and culture can be felt where need is greatest.

We are also exploring the potential for philanthropy to have a greater impact for the arts and cultural sectors, as per the recommendations in Baroness Hodge's Review of Arts Council England. This builds upon our previously published place-based philanthropy plan, ‘Our Place to Give, which’ sets out how the Government will work in partnership with local government, civil society and philanthropists to address barriers and strengthen place-based philanthropic investment.