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

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to direct more of the next allocation of the Culture Recovery Fund to smaller local cultural organisations and programmes.

The government has put in place one of the most comprehensive packages of business support in the world, including for the cultural sector, an announcement of the £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund (CRF).

The CRF has seen over £1.2 billion awarded to nearly 5,000 organisations and sites since October last year, with 70% of grant funding going outside of London. A wide range of organisations from independent cinemas to heritage sites, nightclubs, local theatres, grassroot music venues and many others have been saved that otherwise would have been lost forever.

In the 2021 Budget the Chancellor announced a further £300 million for the CRF. This funding will continue to support key cultural organisations; to bridge the sector as audiences begin to return; and continue to ensure a vibrant future for the culture sector as the nation recovers from the pandemic. Further details will be announced in due course and we will continue to work closely with the sector to ensure it remains supported.