Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has announced a transformative £1.5 billion funding package for the arts, declaring it the biggest reset for the sector in a generation. The landmark investment comes with a clear mandate for London-based national institutions to extend their influence across every region of the United Kingdom.
National Institutions Must Look Beyond London
While national museums including the British Museum and National Portrait Gallery will receive a substantial £600 million package, Nandy emphasised they must work harder to become genuinely national institutions. "Almost all of our national institutions are based in London, which means they need to work harder to make sure that they are genuinely national institutions by opening opportunities for young people from every part of our country," she stated during Wednesday's announcement.
The culture secretary praised the outreach work of the Royal Shakespeare Company as a model for how national institutions could engage visitors across the country. "I'm saying to institutions: 'We are building the doors, but now you need to throw them wide open to the whole community,'" Nandy declared, highlighting the government's expectation for greater geographical inclusivity.
Repairing Cultural Infrastructure
The funding package is primarily designed to repair the UK's creaking cultural infrastructure, representing a significant injection into a sector where Arts Council England funding was cut by 30% in 2010. This follows a previously announced £270 million investment and aims to restore national pride through cultural enrichment.
"We're investing in every borough in the country because arts belongs to everybody and we are determined to ensure that wherever you live in the country, whatever your background, access to arts and culture belongs to you," Nandy affirmed, positioning the investment as fundamentally democratic in nature.
Comparing to Post-War Vision
The culture secretary drew historical parallels, suggesting this moment was comparable to the aftermath of the Second World War "when a generation of visionaries stepped forward and used the power of the arts to help light the way forwards for a very fractured, devastated nation." This ambitious framing positions the funding as both practical infrastructure investment and cultural renewal mission.
Detailed Funding Breakdown
The comprehensive package includes multiple targeted allocations:
- £160 million for investment in local and regional museums
- £425 million Creative Foundations Fund managed by Arts Council England supporting approximately 300 capital projects at arts venues nationwide
- £230 million for the heritage sector
- £27.5 million available for public libraries to apply for
- £80 million extra for national portfolio organisations over the course of this parliament
Darren Henley, Chief Executive of Arts Council England, welcomed the investment: "By continuing to fund our cultural infrastructure, the government is investing in our collective future in ensuring creative opportunities for generations to come."
Sector Response and Criticism
While the plan received broad welcome across the cultural sector, dissenting voices highlighted concerns about workforce investment. Mike Clancy, General Secretary of the Prospect union, argued the package was wrong to focus solely on bricks and mortar rather than those employed in the sector.
"Our culture is not just about artefacts, sites and buildings but about the people who bring it to life. This sector is facing an ongoing and intractable crisis in pay and retention which has to be addressed," Clancy emphasised, pointing to deeper structural issues within the cultural workforce.
Arts Council England Review
Nandy praised Margaret Hodge's recent review of Arts Council England, which found there had been a "loss of respect and trust" for the council among those it backed, partly due to "perceived political interference in decision-making." Hodge called for scrapping ACE's "let's create" strategy, which was due to run until the end of the decade.
The culture secretary hinted she would back the recommendations when she officially responds in the next month, calling it "a really welcome shake-up of a sector that has been underfunded, undervalued and underutilised for too long." This suggests further reforms may accompany the substantial financial investment announced today.
