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

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with ministers in the Cabinet Office on the steps being taken by them to include the level of funding on culture in the North as part of the Levelling Up White Paper.

The government recognises the crucial role that cultural investment can play in Levelling Up. We are committed to ensuring that areas across England benefit fully from our funding programmes and experience the potential of culture to boost local growth, increase visitor numbers, bolster talent and attract investment. DCMS is engaging closely with other parts of government in the preparation for the Levelling Up White Paper.

DCMS has already provided a significant amount of funding for the North. In particular, the Culture Recovery Fund has provided £287,931,077 across the North of England, including £104,944,697 for the Yorkshire and Humber region. In addition, there are 223 ACE National Portfolio Organisations in the North West, Yorkshire and the Northeast regions combined.

Looking beyond the pandemic, culture is prioritized as a target for investment in the government’s £4.8 billion Levelling Up Fund, and I am confident that the North will benefit significantly from the cultural projects supported by this Fund.