Reaction: Boris Johnson pledges ‘game-changing’ £1.6bn bailout for cultural sector
Industry applauds rescue package - but critics say the funding may come too late for many institutions
Boris Johnson is throwing a £1.57bn lifeline to the UK’s struggling arts and heritage sector in a bid to prevent further lay-offs and permanent closures of institutions nationwide.
The long-awaited rescue package is being described by the government as “the biggest one-off investment in UK culture” and follows “weeks of desperate warnings that the UK was facing an irreversible cultural catastrophe without targeted support”, The Guardian says.
Ministers say that the package will “protect the future of the country’s museums, galleries, theaters and music venues”, the newspaper adds. The bailout announcement comes weeks after arts industry leaders told the Commons Culture Select Committee that half of all music venues and 70% of theatres across the UK faced closing their doors for good as a result of the coronavirus crisis.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak said that the government “accepted the argument made by Britain’s artistic leaders that the need for social distancing for the foreseeable future could devastate the cultural life of the country”, the Financial Times reports.
The settlement was secured by Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden and includes £880m of grants for the financial year to April 2021, as well as £270m of repayable loans. Dowden is also due to announce a further “£100m of targeted support for national cultural institutions in England and £120m to restart construction work at cultural sites”, according to the paper.
Decisions on where the bailout money will be spent will be made by bodies including the British Film Institute, Arts Council England, the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Historic England.
But the sector is facing continuing uncertainty about when arts venues and events will be able to pull up the curtain.
The prime minister has pledged to set out a “timetable this week for when mass events can resume, but it is thought theatres, concerts and festivals may have to wait until 2021 to restart”, says the Daily Mail.
All the same, cultural leaders have welcomed the unprecedented funding boost “as a game changer for the creative industries”, The Times reports.
In a joint statement, the directors of the Science, Natural History, British and V&A museums, and of the National and Tate galleries, said that the payments showed the “government has recognised its duty of care for the national collections”.
“Emergency assistance this year will enable us both to care for the collections and secure safe, free access to our galleries,” they added.
Playwright James Graham told The Guardian of his “absolute relief and gratitude” for the “surprisingly ambitious package, especially when you compare it to some of our European neighbours”.
Alex Beard, chief executive of the Royal Opera House, also applauded the bailout. “There is much to achieve over the coming months and this package will be a catalyst for unlocking the extraordinary creativity embedded in the UK’s world-renowned creative industries,” he said.
Some critics are unconvinced, however.
While welcoming the bailout, The Telegraph’s arts editor Ben Lawrence argues that “the funding announcement currently offers more questions than answers”.
For some institutions, the bailout “is far too late”, he says, adding that the money “must be paired with clear guidelines on when live venues can reopen”.
“My feeling is that loans on easy terms will be given to bigger institutions such as the Royal Albert Hall... while smaller operations such as the country’s repertory theatres will be in line for grants,” Lawrence concludes.
“Most importantly, there are still no government guidelines on theatres reopening, so the package might still end up as a sticking plaster.”
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Today's political cartoons - November 3, 2024
Cartoons Sunday's cartoons - presidential pitching, wavering convictions, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Why Man United finally lost patience with ten Hag
Talking Point After another loss United sacked ten Hag in hopes of success in the Champion's League
By The Week UK Published
-
Who are the markets backing in the US election?
Talking Point Speculators are piling in on the Trump trade. A Harris victory would come as a surprise
By The Week UK Published
-
What is the next Tory leader up against?
Today's Big Question Kemi Badenoch or Robert Jenrick will have to unify warring factions and win back disillusioned voters – without alienating the centre ground
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
What is Lammy hoping to achieve in China?
Today's Big Question Foreign secretary heads to Beijing as Labour seeks cooperation on global challenges and courts opportunities for trade and investment
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Bob Woodward's War: the explosive Trump revelations
In the spotlight Nobody can beat Watergate veteran at 'getting the story of the White House from the inside'
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Trump kept up with Putin, sent Covid tests, book says
Speed Read The revelation comes courtesy of a new book by Bob Woodward
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
'The federal government's response to the latest surge has been tepid at best'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Is Britain about to 'boil over'?
Today's Big Question A message shared across far-right groups listed more than 30 potential targets for violence in the UK today
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
UK's Starmer slams 'far-right thuggery' at riots
Speed Read The anti-immigrant violence was spurred by false rumors that the suspect in the Southport knife attack was an immigrant
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Biden tests positive for Covid in fresh blow to campaign
Speed Read The president said he would consider dropping out of the race if presented with a "medical condition"
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published