Budget: £400m for arts and culture and an extension of SEISS
Lucy Thraves
Tuesday, March 2, 2021
In today's budget statement, chancellor Rishi Sunak has announced measures to support the beleaguered arts and culture industries.
Of the £400m pledged, £300m will be added to the government’s culture recovery fund, £90m will go to national museums and cultural bodies, and another £20m will go to community cultural projects.
Sunak said: 'Throughout the crisis we have done everything we can to support our world-renowned arts and cultural industries, and it’s only right that we continue to build on our historic package of support for the sector.'
Culture secretary Oliver Dowden said on Twitter that the money was 'not just about survival, but planning [and] preparing for reopening of theatres, galleries and gigs'.
The chancellor has also confirmed that the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) will be extended to cover February, March and April. A fifth grant will be made available from July, for a further period of three months. Individuals whose turnover fell by 30% will continue to receive the full 80% grant, and those whose turnover has fallen less will receive a reduced 30% grant.
In addition, there has been a £20 uplift for universal credit, and the furlough scheme has been extended until September.
The ISM's Deborah Annetts said that the news 'hits the right note for many musicians, with the chancellor announcing more than £300m for the arts alongside the extension of support for those eligible for the self-employed scheme, furlough and the Universal Credit uplift.
'These are all essential, because thousands of our members have not had any work for a year and are waiting for venues to safely re-open. The government must invest in the UK’s cultural industries until this crisis is over, including measures to help the estimated three million excluded freelancers.'
However, there will be many in the industry who continue to fall through the gaps in available funding. Jamie Njoku-Goodwin, head of UK Music, said: 'The £300 million boost to the Culture Recovery Fund is welcome and will be a lifeline to many venues and organisations – but the fund should be extended to include freelancers, as is the case in Scotland and Wales.
He also pointed out the need for a government-backed insurance scheme as the live sector attempts to plan for this summer: 'The clock is ticking when it comes to staging live music events this summer,' he said. 'Organisers are making decisions in the next few days and weeks about whether they can proceed or will be forced to cancel. The live music industry urgently needs a government-backed insurance scheme to protect against the risk of losses if a festival or concert is forced to cancel due to Covid.'