Yesterday [6 March 2024] the Department for Levelling Up, Housing, and Communities announced a £5 million capital funding commitment for cultural projects across the city.
Since 2019, Robin Walker MP has worked with local organisations and councils in securing bids for Government funding to the benefit of Worcester’s community. In total Worcester has now received over £46 million in capital funding including from the Future High Street Fund, Towns Fund and the Culture Recovery Fund.
The transformation of Worcester’s empty railway arches into The Arches Worcester, a cultural hotspot with a series of spaces for creative industries, was supported by a £3 million investment from the Cultural Development Fund.
Worcester City Centre has benefitted from £17.9 million in funding from the Future High Street Fund. Now in Phase 5 of 6 the funding is currently supporting the regeneration of Foregate Street and work to restore the Scala Theatre.
Robin also assisted in the successful bid for the Towns Fund, totalling £19.6 million, which has seen multiple proposals for developments around the city, including major regeneration projects around Shrub Hill Of the total funding, £1.96 million has been put towards two Worcester skills hubs, the expansion of two community centres, and other community assets in the city. Robin has served over the last couple of years on the Towns Fund board, overseeing the use of this money.
In a letter to the joint leaders of the City Council sent on the day of the budget, the Minister set out that the City was being offered Leveling Up Funding of £5m for cultural projects and outlined “We will shortly be inviting Worcester City Council to bring forward an investment plan that is focused on supporting cultural activity in your area”
Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Worcester Marc Bayliss commented saying;
“Fantastic that the City is going to get another £5m to invest in levelling up.
“Time for [Worcester City Council] to think again and back the proper theatre plan that they had, not the watered down scheme Labour and Greens came up with.
Robin Walker MP followed by saying;
“I am very pleased to see further funding coming to Worcester to help sustain the cultural growth we have seen in Worcester over the past few years. This Government has already delivered vital local projects including the new medical school, an upgrade to our hospital and the dialling of the Southern Link Road but since 2019 we have seen a series of transformative capital grants to the city itself and today's five million brings the total to over £46 million. This is a huge opportunity for our city to invest and regenerate."
“I look forward to contributing to the city’s bid for further funding for the arts and culture, already a key strength for our city and I hope that, together with local councils, we can deliver projects that make a real difference."