Chancellor launches arts funding on city visit
The Chancellor made a fleeting visit to the Black Country to launch the final round of a fund to help protect arts venues during the pandemic.
Rishi Sunak visited Wolverhampton Art Gallery to mark the latest stage of the £2 billion Cultural Recovery Fund, which has supported live venues forced to close due to lockdown measures.
The gallery on Lichfield Street is among dozens of venues across the region to have received cash from the fund since its launch last year, with other recipients including the Grand Theatre, Lichfield's Garrick Theatre and Birmingham Town Hall and Symphony Hall.
Mr Sunak, who was making his first ministerial visit to the city as a guest of Wolverhampton South West MP Stuart Anderson, saw how more than £430,000 had helped fund improvements to the gallery's main reception, create a digital learning suite, and carry out refurbishments to increase the space for exhibitions and collections.
An extra £160,000 from the fund has helped deliver the project in full.
Mr Anderson said the Chancellor had seen first hand the impact of the funding on the gallery.
He added: "As we look to build back better, I am determined to ensure that our cherished arts, heritage and cultural venues in Wolverhampton are supported to not only excel, but to level up opportunities for the next generation.
"I would encourage all organisations to apply for the latest round of funding in this unprecedented package of support."
Applications for the final round of funding, totalling £300m, are now open.
