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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has made an assessment of the adequacy of national cultural funding for (a) Leicester and (b) the East Midlands compared with other regions.

The Department has carried out internal policy work to ensure there is a clear understanding of the publicly funded arts, culture and heritage sectors, including looking at national and local government funding. This work ensures future policy development is evidence driven.

Ministers also launched a review of Arts Council England who are responsible for the distribution of arts funding across England. The review will examine everything from funding mechanisms to community engagement. Baroness Hodge of Barking is leading the review and will provide government with her report and recommendations in the autumn of 2025. The government will then publish the conclusions of the review along with the government’s response in 2026.

Details of Arts Council England funding, including that for Leicester and the East Midlands, can be found on the Arts Council England website here https://culture.localinsight.org/#/map The Secretary of State has a range of discussions with Arts Council England and the National Lottery Heritage Fund across the whole of her portfolio, and DCMS officials regularly discuss support for arts, culture and heritage with their counterparts at our arms-length bodies.