United Kingdom. To balance its finances, the Labor government could attack culture. Sixteen grants for cultural development projects risk being canceled as part of the budget published at the end of October. These programs were announced in spring 2024 by the previous government. An envelope of 100 million pounds (€120 million) had been “set aside” by the conservatives, with the aim of developing the cultural sector in places with high potential throughout the country. But once in power, the Labor government concluded that this package had not been funded and should be scrapped.
However, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, in charge of decentralization, has launched a period of consultation with potential beneficiaries to understand “financial, strategic and community impacts” withdrawal of this funding. The institutions concerned are also in dialogue with officials from the Ministry of Culture, Media and Sport, which monitors most of these projects.
In addition to nine cities which were each to receive 5 million pounds (€6 million), six cultural institutions had been selected. 15 million pounds (€18 million) were planned for the transformation of the National Rail Museum in York (northern England), as part of a project with a total cost of 95 million pounds (€114 million). ). £10m (€12m) had been allocated to the redevelopment of Liverpool’s Slavery Museum and Maritime Museum, a project which is part of the wider transformation of the city’s docks. Launched in 2021 by National Museums Liverpool (NML), this plan must extend over ten years for a total budget of 81 million pounds (€97 million).
In the city of Leeds, an annex of the British Library for the north of England was to receive 10 million books (€12 million), in addition to another funding of 25 million pounds (€30 million) granted by the ministry of decentralization. Also in Leeds, 5 million pounds (€6 million) had been earmarked for the creation of the country’s first Poetry Center. In Scotland, 2.6 million pounds (€3.12 million) had been allocated to the Victoria and Albert Museum in Dundee, with the aim of redeveloping the galleries dedicated to Scottish design. Finally, in Wales, 10 million pounds (€12 million) was allocated to the transformation of the Venue Cymru theater.
Negotiations with the government could extend over a period of twelve to thirteen weeks, depending on some of its institutions. National Museums Liverpool has for its part confirmed the closure of the two museums affected by the transformation work at the start of 2025, as originally planned. While the organization attempts to demonstrate the national interest of the project to the government, it remains tight-lipped about the impact that removing the additional funds could have in terms of delaying construction deadlines, reducing the scale of the project or consequences on local communities. As it stands, the work plans to give the International Slavery Museum its own building, while it is currently on the third floor of the Maritime Museum. An iron and glass bridge was also to connect this building, called Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., to the rest of the museum’s galleries.
On the other hand, the withdrawal of these subsidies could jeopardize the very creation of the National Poetry Center, which should receive up to 100,000 visitors per year. “ For now, we can cope with an interruption of funding without major effects on our project”estimates Nick Barley, the director. But, if this grant were canceled, he estimates that the project could lose the 15 million pounds (18 M€) from the National Lottery fund and private donors which were added to the 5 million pounds (6 M€) from the government. “ It would be catastrophic”he concludes.
