UK government announces £1.57 billion pandemic support package for the arts
At the heart of the “one-off investment in UK culture” is £880m in grants, available until April 2021, for music venues as well as theatres, heritage sites, museums and galleries, as well as £270m worth of loans.
Last week saw the launch of the #LetTheMusicPlay campaign, which called on the UK government to do more for the country’s music industry. A letter signed by 1500 artists was sent to UK culture secretary Oliver Dowden outlining the disastrous impact of the pandemic on the UK’s music scene.
“Until these businesses can operate again, which is likely to be 2021 at the earliest, government support will be crucial to prevent mass insolvencies, and the end of this great world-leading industry,” the letter stated.
We’ll update this post with further details on the government package when we have them.
Photo credit: Luke Mellor
