Government considers scrapping £15m culture and investment support

The government is proposing to cancel a £15m package to support culture, heritage and investment projects in the region, as it looks to ensure that ‘investment is focused on the growth mission’.

Former Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced the funding in the Spring Budget earlier this year, to provide £10m of funding to support culture and heritage projects, and £5m to drive inward investment in the region.

Rachel Reeves announced today that the government is “minded to cancel unfunded Levelling Up Culture and Capital Projects, and the West Midlands culture and inward investment funding” but it “will consult with potential funding recipients before making a final decision”.

The West Midlands Combined Authority will receive the first integrated settlement from the government, giving Mayors control over funding in a single flexible pot.

Next year settlements for the West Midlands and Greater Manchester will have a single pot of funding with a single outcomes framework to support the MCAs to deliver growth. Both will receive greater flexibilities and funding with the Connect to Work employment programme, a scheme matching people with disabilities or health conditions into vacancies and supporting them to succeed in their roles.

The Brierley Hill to Wednesbury metro extension was mentioned by Reeves in her speech as securing part of £1.3bn worth of funds to improve transport across city infrastructure.

The region will also benefit from an extension to the Innovation Programme, a scheme designed to boost the growth of regional clusters of excellence in HealthTech & MedTech and CleanTech.

It was confirmed in the budget that HS2 Phase One will reach Euston, as the government promised to fund tunnelling work to the central London terminus.

A plan to “get a grip of HS2” had already been unveiled by transport secretary Louise Haigh who launched an independent review into HS2’s spiralling costs to “bring the project back on track”. Bek Seeley has now been appointed to chair the Euston Housing Delivery Group, to drive forward an ambitious housing and regeneration initiative for the local area.

To drive the ‘Modern Industrial Strategy’, long-term funding will be provided into ‘growth-driving sectors’ including £975m for the aerospace sector in the East Midlands, South West and Scotland over five years, more than £2bn over five years to support the automotive sector in the West Midlands and North East, and up to £520m for a new Life Sciences Innovative Manufacturing Fund.