- Bim Afolami MP has welcomed the Conservative Government’s investment of £260,000 in the Hertfordshire Library Service as part of the Cultural Investment Fund.
- Beneficiaries of the fund include more than 70 museums, cultural venues and public libraries across England, safeguarding vital local collections for local communities and levelling up these important venues.
- The Conservative Government is helping to boost local economic growth as well as ensuring local people have access to these vital institutions no matter where they live.
Bim Afolami MP has welcomed the news from the Conservative Government that the Hertfordshire Library Service has been awarded funding as part of the Cultural Investment Fund.
Hertfordshire Library Service will benefit from £260,000 awarded through the Libraries Improvement Fund as part of the Cultural Investment Fund.
The fund, which totals more than £200 million and was launched in 2019, is made up of three separate streams: the Cultural Development Fund, the Libraries Improvement Fund, and the Museum Estate and Development Fund. It is designed to protect and improve people’s access to culture, level up local cultural venues, and use investment to promote economic growth.
The £20.5 million Libraries Improvement Fund will transform library services in England to upgrade their builds and improve digital infrastructure. This is the second round of the fund with 25 projects already benefiting from £5 million of funding in the first round.
This announcement follows a big boost for the cultural sector from the Conservative Government in the Spring Budget with an extension of tax reliefs for theatres, orchestras, and museum and gallery exhibitions for a further two years. These tax reliefs have already supported thousands of theatre and orchestral productions, galleries and museums across the country, and the extension is set to help the cultural sector continue to attract new talent and investment from home and abroad.
Commenting, Bim Afolami MP said:
“I welcome the announcement that the Hertfordshire Library Service will receive £260,000 from the Conservative Government. I know people across Hitchin, Harpenden and the villages will enjoy the new and improved facilities developed as a result of this funding.
“I am thrilled that the importance of Hertfordshire Library Service is being recognised and I look forward to visiting soon to see the difference this investment has made.”
Commenting, Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer said:
“This investment will help to level up access to arts and culture for everyone, no matter where they live.
“Culture helps us create lifelong memories with our families and friends, provides entertainment and joy, and allows us to explore the world around us in new and exciting ways. It can also boost tourism, support local business and drive local economic growth.
“This funding will support brilliant arts organisations to upgrade their venues and create new projects that will be at the heart of their communities.”
ENDS
Notes to Editors:
- The Cultural Investment Fund will invest £60 million into more than 70 organisations to level up culture. They will share a pot of £58.8 million which will see arts venues transformed, upgraded and created as part of the government’s plans to make sure everyone, no matter where they live, can access the UK’s world-renowned culture (DCMS, Press Release, 20 March 2023, link).
- The Cultural Investment Fund is investing in cultural sites, libraries, and museums across England. In this round of Cultural Investment fund, £32.4 million has gone to eight Cultural Development Fund projects, £4.9 million to 27 projects as part of the Libraries Improvement Fund and £21.4 million has gone to 36 museums through the Museum Estate and Development Fund. Arts Council England will deliver this fund on behalf of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS, Press Release, 20 March 2023, link).
