The UK Government has announced over £1.5bn to support British arts, culture and heritage venues. This will mean almost £100m extra being given to the Scottish Government.
The future of Britain’s museums, galleries, theatres, independent cinemas, heritage sites and music venues will be protected with emergency grants and loans. However, it is up to the Scottish Government how they spend their share of this extra funding.
The cash boost represents the biggest ever one-off investment in UK culture. This comes in addition to the support offered by the UK Government including business loans and the job furlough scheme.
Culture, arts and heritage institutions employ around 700,000 people across the UK.
Borders politicians are calling on the Scottish Government to pass on the financial package to Scottish venues.
John Lamont MP said: “Music venues, theatres and museums are a fantastic celebration of talent in this country. I am delighted they are receiving this vital support package from the UK Government to help them through the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic.
“This is yet another significant funding boost to the Scottish Government. They must pass on every penny to protect our cultural institutions.
“The Scottish Government will obviously come up with their own criteria to access the funding, but they must help venues such as Mac Arts Centre in Galashiels which helps showcase the best comedy and music from around the country.”
Rachael Hamilton MSP said: “This is a huge boost to Britain’s outstanding arts sector, which has been at a significant financial loss due to the Covid-19 lockdown.
“The £1.57bn support from the Conservative Government is welcomed by many leading figures in the sector, including Scotland’s Nicola Benedetti.
“It just shows what the pooling and sharing of resources across the UK can do to help museums, music venues and galleries.
“The SNP must make sure every penny given to Scotland reaches the sector.”
Scottish classical violinist, Nicola Benedetti said: “This significant investment demonstrates a dedication to humanity that gives us all hope during times of unimaginable uncertainty. We will continue to ensure we tell the greatest tales of our past whilst creating a bold vision for our future.”
