Coventry and Worcester benefit from government culture cash (but not as much as they asked for)
The government has announced £5 million for City Centre Cultural Gateway in Coventry, to support the repurposing of the former IKEA building in Coventry city centre to become a new cultural and visitor attraction and £2.3 million to three cultural projects in Worcester around the Scala arts venue.
The projects are part of a total £67 million in funding announced by the government into projects across the UK.
The Worcestershire projects are:
- A new Scala Co-Working Space to provide an onsite office and studio space for artistic companies to create work.
- Two mezzanine floors of the Corn Exchange building will be brought back into use through the creation of Next Level Food which will provide a new space for more events and exhibitions and modern catering facilities
- A new welcoming social space for younger generations through the Angel Place
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said: "Every corner of the UK has something unique to offer, and our rich creative capital must not be underestimated.
"Through investing in these critical cultural projects we can empower both local leaders and people to really tap into their potential and celebrate everything their home town has to offer. This means more tourism, more growth and more money in people’s pockets.”
Culture Secretary, Lisa Nandy said: "Everyone across the country should be able to access arts and culture in the place they call home. This support will empower our cultural organisations to continue playing an essential role in developing skills, talent and high-quality careers in every corner of the UK.”
Councillor Lynn Denham, Worcester City Council Leader, said: “We thank the Government for allowing us to make the case for investment in cultural projects in Worcester. I am really pleased as a result, we have been awarded partial funding.
“I also thank our Member of Parliament, Tom Collins, who has been talking to Government Ministers about these projects.
“We recognise that the Government is in a very difficult financial position, and that tough decisions were made.
“I understand that this news will come as a disappointment to those involved with projects which were not awarded Levelling-Up money.
“Building work started last month at Scala, which will be a new centre for arts and entertainment here in the centre of our city.
“It is an incredibly exciting project and I would encourage people to find out more and sign up for regular updates at scalaworcester.co.uk, or to search Scala Worcester on social media.
“This additional money allocated by the Government will enable us to provide additional facilities in the Corn Exchange building, which is part of the Scala development.”
Tom Collins, Member of Parliament for Worcester said: “To have received any of this funding at all is a real win for Worcester, and to see the Scala Project backed in this way is extremely good news.
“The Scala project, with its inclusion of the Corn Exchange, collaborative working space and improvements to Angel Place, will lift our city centre, but more importantly it will create amazing opportunities for our local artists and young people.
“It has been a huge team effort to save any of this funding, and I want to thank everyone involved in making it happen, including our City Council staff, Councillors (especially our Council Leaders Lynn Denham and Jabba Riaz) and our Government Ministers who recognised the value of Worcester and this project.”
