COMMUNITIES in the North East have been placed on a priority list for cultural funding as part of a £75million plan to improve areas outside of London.
Darlington, County Durham and Stockton-on-Tees are among 10 places in the North East that will be placed on a priority list for cultural funding as part of the government’s levelling up drive.
The news comes as part of an announcement by the Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries today (Wednesday). By 2025 all the areas are due to have received the funding.
The government says the boost in financial support will ensure a better distribution of arts funding, help level up the country, and increase accessibility and opportunity in areas which have been culturally under-served in years gone by.
Towns and communities in the North East are part of more than 100 ‘Levelling Up for Culture Places’ which will be targeted.
Other local authority areas included on the list are Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland, Hartlepool, North Tyneside, Northumberland, South Tyneside and Sunderland.
Read more: Government reveals how it believes it is levelling up the North East
Cultural investment outside London via the Arts Council is expected to rise to almost £250 million by 2025 – the equivalent to a 19 per cent increase by the final year of the Spending Review period. Arts Council England (ACE), which will oversee the distribution of the funds, will see its overall budget increase over the period.
The government set out a commitment to raise cultural spending significantly outside the capital in its Levelling Up White Paper. ACE currently spends £21 per head in London and an average of £6 per head in the rest of England.
The North East is already home to a number of organisations which receive ACE support including Theatre Hullabaloo, Darlington, Beamish, County Durham, and Northern Stage, Newcastle.
New data has found Durham will attract 15 million visitors, bring thousands of new jobs and see significant support to the region’s levelling up agenda if it wins its bid to be named UK City of Culture 2025.
Organisers say City of Culture status and the planned activities across the county would help to create a lasting legacy of jobs, new creative industries and a visitor economy that will continue to grow.
The council has today submitted its bid for the next stage of the competition with principal partner Durham University on behalf of Culture Durham – a partnership of organisations which say they are united by their belief in the power of culture to transform lives.
Uniquely, the bid aims to secure the title for Durham – both the county and the city – and if successful, it would be the first ever county bid to achieve UK City of Culture status.
Read more: Plea to invest in Northern culture in levelling up pledge
The Festival of Thrift, in Redcar and Cleveland, is one of many local initiatives that will benefit from the new funding.
Stella Hall and Emma Whitenstall, its co-directors, said its success has been helped by funding from the government.
“Festival of Thrift is a CIC firmly rooted in the Tees Valley and over the last 10 years with support from Arts Council England we have expanded from an annual weekend event into a year-round organisation focusing on sustainability and reaching out locally from our Redcar home across the UK and internationally to audiences of all backgrounds,” they said.
“As we embark on our next chapter we are really excited about Let’s Create and the new investment opportunities available for cultural organisations which, like ours, deliver vital cultural services outside London.
“Applying for National Portfolio Organisations (NPO) status means we can develop new jobs, training and employability skills for people in our local community as well as provide representative and appropriate cultural opportunities.
“We believe local communities’ voices are a powerful catalyst for climate action and essential for the development of social growth in our Northern towns and cities.”
Meanwhile, Annabel Turpin, chief executive of ARC Stockton, said: “NPO investment means we can commit to giving our communities outstanding cultural experiences, create jobs and support the growth of creative industries locally.
“This increases people’s pride in the area and connects our communities, giving people here the same opportunities as anywhere else in the UK.
“It has helped us put Tees Valley on the map for its cultural ambitions, supporting us and others to realise them.”
Arts Minister Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay added: “As I’ve known all my life, the North East is home to some fantastic cultural institutions, and brilliantly creative people.
“But historically, the North East hasn’t benefited as much as other areas from the funding which comes from taxpayers right across the country. That’s what the changes we’re making today will address.
“We want to help our existing cultural organisations continue to thrive and expand, while unleashing more of the artistic passion and creative brilliance we all know there is across the North East of England.”
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