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

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment she has made of the contribution of the arts, music, film and the creative sectors to the Government's levelling up agenda; and if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of contributing to such projects through the levelling up fund.

The Government knows that the arts, music, film and the creative sectors can play a significant role in levelling up, as well as enriching people’s lives in so many other ways. The Levelling Up White Paper highlighted the crucial role the cultural and creative sectors play in rejuvenating and transforming our communities across the country, creating jobs and boosting pride in place.

To this end, DCMS and Arts Council England jointly identified 109 Levelling Up for Culture Places – areas which historically have had lower investment in arts and culture – which will be targeted for additional public investment via the Arts Council, ensuring that everywhere in the country can enjoy the benefits of a vibrant cultural and creative sector. In Arts Council England’s 2023–26 Investment Programme, the number of funded organisations in these 109 areas will increase by 79% (from 107 to 192 organisations) and investment will increase by 95%, or £21.2 million per annum.

One of these Levelling Up for Culture Places, Torbay, has received £4.3 million from the Cultural Development Fund to renovate the landmark Paignton Picture House, creating a cultural hub for film and community engagement – while another, Bradford, has received £4 million from the Northern Cultural Regeneration Fund to redevelop the Bradford Odeon into a 7,000-seat music venue.

The £4.8 billion Levelling Up Fund is investing significantly in local cultural, heritage, and creative industries capital projects across the country. 'Culture and heritage' is one of the three key investment priorities of the Fund and applications are assessed against this. Recipients from the Fund's first round include £2.9 million for a film production studio in Belfast and £17.9 million to renovate the town hall in Kidderminister as a venue for music, arts and theatre. The second round of the Levelling Up Fund includes, for the first time, provision to support up to two bids which boost local pride in place for up to £50 million under the Fund’s culture and heritage investment theme.