Matt Vickers has welcomed the Conservative Government’s investment of £50,000 in Stockton Library Service in Stockton South 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.
Matt Vickers has welcomed the news from the Conservative Government that Stockton Library Service has been awarded funding as part of the Cultural Investment Fund.
Stockton Library Service will benefit from £50,000 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 buildings 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 theatres 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, Matt Vickers MP said:
“I welcome the announcement that Stockton Library Service will receive £50,000 from the Conservative Government. I know people across Stockton South will enjoy the new and improved facilities developed as a result of this funding and hopefully we will see footfall rising back to pre-pandemic levels.
“I am thrilled that the importance of Stockton Library Service to our education services, entertainment and as a community hub 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.”
