Government pledges 1.5bn to fix crumbling museums and cultural buildings

"The government has announced £1.5 billion in funding for museums and cultural centres over the next five years, which will mainly go toward clearing a backlog of maintenance of their buildings. Spread across more than 1,000 institutions, £600 million will go to the big 17 national museums, with £900 million devoted to regional and smaller venues across the UK. The rest of the funding is broken down into tranches:"

"£160 million for local and regional museums to help them tackle maintenance backlogs, and a new £13.6 million Museum Transformation programme will support organisations to move towards more sustainable business models. A £425 million Creative Foundations Fund, which will support approximately 300 capital projects in arts venues across the country £230 million is being set aside for the protection and preservation of heritage buildings, including listed places of worship, across the country."

"There will also be a new £92 million fund called the Places of Worship Renewal Fund, which will replace the £23 million Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme and bring these buildings into line with other heritage assets. It will give them access to the same level of government financial support as historic houses, monuments, and other heritage sites. There will be £27.5 million for public libraries to upgrade their buildings and technology."

The government committed £1.5 billion over five years to address maintenance backlogs and support capital projects across museums, cultural centres, heritage buildings, and libraries. Funding allocates £600 million to 17 national museums and £900 million to regional and smaller venues across the UK. Specific tranches include £160 million for local and regional museum maintenance, a £13.6 million Museum Transformation programme for sustainable business models, a £425 million Creative Foundations Fund for about 300 arts capital projects, and £230 million for heritage protection including listed places of worship. Additional sums target buildings at risk, places of worship renewal, libraries, National Portfolio organisations, and community heritage revival. The headline includes £270 million previously announced.

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