• Rebecca Harris MP has welcomed the Conservative Government’s investment of £5,056,350 in cultural funding in Essex as part of the Cultural Investment Fund.
• Beneficiaries of the fund include more than 70 museums, cultural venues and public libraries across England, safeguarding vital local connections for local communities and levelling up these important venues.
• The Conservative Government is helping to boost local economic growth as well as ensuring local people have access to these vital institutions no matter where they live.

Rebecca Harris MP has welcomed the news from the Conservative Government that Essex has been awarded funding as part of the Cultural Investment Fund.

The fund, which totals more than £200 million and was launched in 2019, is made up of three separate streams: the Cultural Development Fund, the Libraries Improvement Fund, and the Museum Estate and Development Fund. It is designed to protect and improve people’s access to culture, level up local cultural venues, and use investment to promote economic growth.

The Cultural Development Fund aims to level up through investment in culture. The fund unlocks local growth and productivity, promotes economic and social recovery from the impact of Covid-19, and levels up communities through capital investment in transformative place-based creative and cultural initiatives.

This is the third round of the Cultural Development Fund, bringing the total amount of investment to £76.9 million, with 20 projects already funded through rounds one and two, creating jobs, unlocking economic growth and making places more attractive to live, work and visit.

The £20.5 million Libraries Improvement Fund will transform library services in England to upgrade their builds and improve digital infrastructure. This is the second round of the fund with 25 projects already benefiting from £5 million of funding in the first round.

The £86.6 million Museum Estate and Development Fund helps fund urgent museum maintenance and infrastructure works. This is the second round of funding, bringing the total amount of investment so far to more than £40 million for 67 museums.

This announcement follows a big boost for the cultural sector from the Conservative Government in the Spring Budget with an extension of tax reliefs for theatres, orchestras, and museum and gallery exhibitions for a further two years. These tax reliefs have already supported thousands of theatre and orchestral productions, galleries and museums across the country, and the extension is set to help the cultural sector continue to attract new talent and investment from home and abroad.

Commenting, Rebecca Harris MP said:

“I am pleased with the announcement that Essex will receive £5,056,350 from the Government. I know people across Essex will enjoy the new and improved facilities as a result of this funding.”

Commenting, Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer said:

“This investment will help to level up access to arts and culture for everyone, no matter where they live.

“Culture helps us create lifelong memories with our families and friends, provides entertainment and joy, and allows us to explore the world around us in new and exciting ways. It can also boost tourism, support local business and drive local economic growth.

“This funding will support brilliant arts organisations to upgrade their venues and create new projects that will be at the heart of their communities.”