Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to support small theatres in South Cotswolds constituency.

The Government values the important role small theatres play in enriching our culture and boosting the economy, and we were pleased to see theatres like Papatango in the South Cotswolds constituency accessing nearly £15,000 of support from ACE last year. We were also pleased to launch the £270 million Arts Everywhere Fund to help grow the cultural sector. £85 million of that will go into the Creative Foundations Fund, which will help improve arts venues across the country, including theatres of all sizes. ACE will notify all applicants of the outcome of their full application, and commit funding by 31 March 2026.

The government primarily supports theatres through Arts Council England (ACE). Through their main funding programme, the 2023-2027 National Portfolio Investment Programme, ACE is providing over £100 million in grants per year to around 195 theatres across the country. Across all their funding programmes, including lottery schemes, for the financial year 2024-25, ACE awarded around £300 million to theatres/theatre based organisations. ACE’s open funding programme, National Lottery Project Grants, is currently accessible to organisations and individuals across the country, including those in the South Cotswolds constituency.

The government is also supporting theatres through the tax system. At the 2024 Autumn Budget, the Government confirmed that from April 2025, Theatre Tax Relief on production costs would be set at the rates of 45 per cent for touring productions and 40 per cent for non-touring productions.