Asked by: David Morris (Conservative - Morecambe and Lunesdale)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what funding is available for arts and culture in rural areas.
Answered by John Whittingdale
As set out in the Levelling Up White Paper, HM Government is committed to ensuring that funding for arts and culture is more fairly distributed across the country. Arts Council England’s 2023–26 investment programme (the ‘National Portfolio’), worth over £444 million per year, has seen investment to cultural organisations in rural areas increase to £44.6 million, benefiting 110 organisations across the country.
In local authority areas identified as predominantly rural, there has been a 22% increase in investment in National Portfolio Organisations and Investment Principles Support Organisations. Urban areas with significant rural portions have seen an increase of 37%.
Cultural opportunities are also provided in rural areas by organisations based in neighbouring urban areas – for instance, through touring. Public library services in the Arts Council’s National Portfolio with a base in urban areas are also important to cultural opportunities in rural locations. The National Rural Touring Forum has also had its funding increased to help build capacity in this important part of the sector.
Arts Council England has also supported approximately 30 Cultural Compacts across England – including in rural and Levelling Up priority areas – and has provided these existing Compacts with further funding to build capacity and long-term cross-sector relationships. (Cultural Compacts are partnerships between the cultural and heritage sectors, Local Authorities, and wider local partners such as universities, health agencies, and the private sector, with the aim of enhancing creatives’ contribution to local development.)
Additionally, arts and cultural organisations in rural areas are able to access Arts Council England’s project grants, an open access programme for arts, libraries and museums projects. This supports thousands of individual artists and community and cultural organisations, with over £105 million of funding awarded in 2022/23.
Meanwhile, DCMS’s £86 million Museum Estate and Development Fund has supported several museums in rural areas, including The Food Museum in Stowmarket which presents the agricultural history of East Anglia, the industrial museums Papplewick Pumping Station and Coldharbour Mill, Shandy Hall, the rural home of the writer Laurence Sterne, and Ruddington Framework Knitters Museum.
Asked by: David Morris (Conservative - Morecambe and Lunesdale)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has plans to bring forward legislative proposals to ensure that community groups in receipt of large grants from administrative charities are required to comply with the political independence provisions in the Charities Act 2011.
Answered by Helen Whately - Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
Grant-making charities must ensure that charitable funds are used to further their charitable purposes. The Charity Commission for England and Wales publishes guidance ("Campaigning and political activity guidance for charities (CC9)") on the extent to which charities can legitimately engage in non-party political activity as part of furthering their charitable purposes.
Any concerns that charitable funds are being used inappropriately, for example for party-political activities or purposes, should be raised with the Charity Commission for England and Wales, which can investigate and if appropriate take action. There are currently no plans to bring forward legislative proposals on this subject.
Asked by: David Morris (Conservative - Morecambe and Lunesdale)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how the Government plans to allocate the £2 billion of dormant assets identified by the Dormant Assets Commission in March 2019 throughout the charity and voluntary sector; and if the Government will allocate those assets to the establishment of a community wealth fund.
Answered by Mims Davies - Shadow Minister (Women)
Following the independent Dormant Assets Commission’s report and findings, an industry blueprint for expanding the scheme was published in April 2019, setting out a long-term plan for how additional dormant assets could be included.
We are working proactively with industry partners to enable this expansion that could see hundreds of millions of additional funds being released to good causes. Under the current legislation, this money can only be used to fund initiatives relating to youth, financial inclusion or via a social investment wholesaler. We are proud of our impact to date in these areas, which has created more than 26,000 jobs and training opportunities and helped more than 2,000 vulnerable individuals into suitable housing.
Asked by: David Morris (Conservative - Morecambe and Lunesdale)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether he has made an assessment of the resilience of the (a) mobile telephone network, (b) landline telephone network and (c) fibre optic broadband network after a power cut; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Lord Vaizey of Didcot
Government continually assesses the resilience of the communications network and works closely with the communications industry to do this. Power is the main dependency of the communications sector, and the Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR), published in November 2015, highlighted Government’s commitment to enhancing the UK’s resilience to power disruption. Government will continue to work with industry to ensure the ongoing resilience and availability of services across the sector in the event of power loss.
Asked by: David Morris (Conservative - Morecambe and Lunesdale)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what funds and funding streams are available to member trusts for restoration of theatres in coastal areas.
Answered by David Evennett
The Theatres Trust administers the Theatres Protection Fund scheme, which provides funds to theatres in need and at risk. Theatres on the 'Heritage at Risk' Register are also able to apply for repair grants provided by Historic England.
In addition, the Heritage Lottery Fund may also be able to fund wider projects relating to theatres, which could cover restoration costs.
Asked by: David Morris (Conservative - Morecambe and Lunesdale)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much funding his Department has allowed to arts groups in the Morecambe and Lunesdale constituency in each of the last three years.
Answered by Lord Vaizey of Didcot
Morecambe and Lunesdale has enjoyed record levels of funding over the past three years - £105,182 in 2013/14; £164,390 in 2014/15; and £321,295 in 2015/16 (year to date to 7th March).
This investment from Arts Council England has supported a number of exciting projects, including Lancaster Arts Partnership First Fridays, the Mirrored Minds Research and Development project.
Asked by: David Morris (Conservative - Morecambe and Lunesdale)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will estimate how much money his Department has spent in Morecambe and Lunesdale constituency since May 2010.
Answered by Helen Grant - Shadow Solicitor General
Our records show that from May 2010 to date, for the “Superfast Lancashire project” within which the Morecambe and Lunesdale constituency falls, Broadband Delivery UK, which is part of the department, has provided £980,000 in grant funding. In addition we can identify that £21,875 of grants from the Listed Place of Worship Scheme have been awarded in the Morecambe and Lunesdale constituency. However as the department's financial systems do not routinely record expenditure by constituency or similar geographical areas, a more detailed analysis of spending in the department could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: David Morris (Conservative - Morecambe and Lunesdale)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what funding his Department has made available for community sports facilities in Morecambe and Lunesdale constituency.
Answered by Helen Grant - Shadow Solicitor General
Sport England's direct investment in facilities in Morecambe and Lunesdale since 2009
Organisation | Programme Name | Award |
Lancaster John O'Gaunt Rowing Club | Inspired Facilities | 42,521 |
Morecambe Cricket Club | Protecting Play Fields | 49,350 |
Vale of Lune RUFC | Inspired Facilities | 50,000 |
Morecambe & Heysham Yacht Club | Inspired Facilities | 50,000 |
Lancaster City Council | Sports Lighting | 150,000 |
Silverdale Cricket Club | Small Grants | 9,344 |
Heysham Cricket Club | Small Grants | 7,315 |
City of Lancaster Gymnastics and Trampoline Club | Small Grants | 10,000 |
|
| 368,530 |
Sport England also invested £1.9m in 1994 in the development of the Salt Ayre Sports Centre.
Sport England has number of funding programmes for sports facilities projects open throughout the year. Local sports clubs can check http://www.sportengland.org/funding to see which funding programmes they could apply to.