Levelling Up Culture money reallocated under Labour’s Plan for Change

The government has confirmed £67m funding for a range of key cultural projects across the UK.

The money comes from the previously titled Levelling Up Culture agenda of the Conservative government, now reallocated under Labour’s Plan for Change. This amount has been significantly reduced – by £33m – from the Conservatives’ promise of £100m towards Levelling Up Culture in April 2024.

The Labour government has reduced the total to £67m and prioritised which projects – 10 across nine cities – to fund.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, previously the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, has awarded Leeds City Council £15m towards a new British Library North and the National Poetry Centre. The National Railway Museum in York will receive £15m – the largest chunk allocated to one project – towards the construction of a new building with visitor facilities.

A sum of £10m goes to Venue Cymru to upgrade the theatre and conference centre in Llandudno, north Wales, to become a modern cultural hub. Liverpool’s International Slavery Museum and the Maritime Museum will receive £10m for expansion and maintenance. And the City Centre Cultural Gateway in Coventry will receive £5m funding to repurpose a former Ikea building as a cultural attraction housing the Arts Council Collection.

Where the £67m is going

• £15m Leeds City Council, towards British Library North and National Poetry Centre
• £15m National Railway Museum, York
• £10m Venue Cymru in Llandudno, Conwy in north Wales
• £10m National Museums Liverpool to the International Slavery Museum and Maritime Museum
• £5m Newport Transporter Bridge, a Grade I listed structure and a key route for visitors to south Wales
• £5m City Centre Cultural Gateway in Coventry towards repurposing a building to house the Arts Council Collection
• £2.6m V&A Dundee
• £2.3m Worcester City Council for a variety of cultural projects
• £2.2m Belfast Shore Road Skills Centre

Also included in the funding announcement is £5m for repair and maintenance of the Newport Transporter Bridge, an icon of Edwardian engineering opened in 1906 that provides a key route for visitors to South Wales. The bridge’s gondola can transport up to six cars or 120 passengers at a time.

In Scotland, the V&A Dundee is to receive £2.6m to expand and revamp its Scottish Design Galleries. And in Northern Ireland, £2.2m goes to Belfast Shore Road Skills Centre to turn the Crusader FC’s south stand into a hub for education, events, community and skills in a notably deprived area of the city.

Another £2.3m will go towards the Scala arts venue in Worcester, which will gain events and exhibitions spaces, a youth hub and co-working space. However, the Learning Centre project at Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum will now not receive previously-pledged culture funding.

And several areas that had been earmarked to receive £5m will also lose out. They include: Maldon in Essex; Redditch in Worcestershire; High Peak and Erewash in Derbyshire; Mendip in Somerset; and North Northamptonshire.

A Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesperson said: “This government inherited unfunded commitments to these projects along with many others but by making difficult choices we have managed to reprioritise some funding within extremely tight budgets.

“We have carefully considered the responses to our consultation and chosen projects at an advanced stage that will have the greatest impact on local people and economic growth - this government’s number one mission.”

The ministry also stated that: “Following our consultation process we have carefully considered the responses received, and have decided to prioritise funding for 10 projects, one of which will receive funding only for some of the projects within its bid. These 10 projects did not have a funding commitment prior to our consultation.

“This is an acknowledgement of the representations we have received, the advanced nature of some projects and the impact they will have in their areas and in boosting economic growth – this government’s number one mission. 

“Prioritisation was determined by considering a series of factors including: significant progress of work to date, imminent delivery, and/or the wider strategic impact of withdrawing funding on local regeneration efforts, as well as potential to boost economic growth. 

“For projects that will no longer be receiving funding, officials will be in contact to discuss reimbursement for costs incurred. We want to thank projects for their cooperation and engagement throughout the consultation process.”

The 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. 

“Our Plan for Change promises growth for every region and I’ve seen first-hand how these projects are igniting growth in their communities.

“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.”