Johnson’s rescue package of £1.5bn for arts and heritage sectors

The arts and heritage sectors have been promised £1.5bn in a rescue package by Boris Johnson to protect museums, galleries, theatres.

The UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, promised £1.57bn of helping for arts and heritage sectors. The government defined the rescue package as the biggest one-off investment in UK culture.

Johnson announced £1.57bn in rescue package for arts sector

Britain is also a country well-known for its arts. The architecture, the painting, the sculpture and so on have their own value and sense of art. Because of the lockdown, the UK was facing an irreversible cultural catastrophe without targeted support.

For this reason, government declare a package that it said would protect the future of the country’s museums, galleries, theaters and music venues.

The playwright James Graham claimed that the money seems to overcome the dreams of most people in the arts. He also added: “If this package is as ambitious as it looks, then conversations within our sector will now need to turn to what our recovery might look like in terms of protecting any gains made in recent years over inclusion, representation and diversity, and how this support can reach who need it most, particularly outside of London.”

On the other side, Boris Johnson felt arts and culture as the soul of the nation.”They make our country great and are the linchpin of our world-beating and fast-growing creative industries.

I understand the grave challenges the arts face and we must protect and preserve all we can for future generations, ensuring arts groups and venues across the UK can stay afloat and support their staff whilst their doors remain closed and curtains remain down”, PM said.

Rescue package indications

The package of Johnson for arts includes:

• A £1.15bn support pot for cultural organizations in England, consisting of £270m in loans and £880m in grants.
• £100m of targeted support for England’s national cultural institutions and English Heritage.
• £120m of capital investment to restart construction on cultural infrastructure and for heritage construction projects in England paused because of the pandemic.
• Extra money for devolved administrations, with £97m for Scotland, £59m for Wales and £33m for Northern Ireland.

A sector in difficulty

Vicky Featherstone, the artistic director of the Royal Court theatre in London, welcome the rescue package. “Now we must ensure that the brilliant freelancers that make our theatres are properly supported and that we all get back to making productions for our wonderful audiences as soon as possible”, she added.

Unfortunately, it comes too late for some highest-profile arts casualty. Last week, Nuffield Southampton Theaters announced its permanent closure. The end comes after six decades of theatrical history. Jo Stevens, the shadow culture secretary, claimed that while the package was “a much needed injection of cash”, it was “too little too late” for many.

Julian Bird, the chief executive of the Society of London Theatre and UK Theatre considered the rescue package “hugely welcome”. “Venues, producers and the huge workforce in the theatre sector look forward to clarity of how these funds will be allocated and invested so that artists and organizations can get back to work as soon as possible”, he said.

Performing arts venues have reduced their income to zero. Also alerted they do not have the money to reopen with social distancing rules. The investment will permit venues to stay open while the doors remain closed.