During yesterday’s budget speech Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced over £400m will be provided for the museums, theatres, galleries and live music venues in England to help them reopen after the Coronavirus pandemic.
Matthew Wakefield, Chief Executive Officer for National Emergency Services Museum in Sheffield see the announcement as a glimpse of hope for the museums.
Mr Wakefield said: “Any fund is at the minute crucial for museums to survive as obviously while they are shut that is the only way they can make income.”
Kim Streets, Chief Executive for Museums Sheffield added: “The pandemic has had a huge impact on cultural organisations across the UK and beyond. The support from the DCMS and Arts Council England through the Culture Recovery Fund has been critical in helping us navigate this incredibly challenging period.”
Mr Wakefield thinks it’s too early to know how the fund will affect the National Emergency Services Museum itself, however he is looking forward to hear the details of the newly announced fund.
He believes the announcement is especially important for museums as it covers the implementation of specified projects.
The main problem which closed venues face is finding a way to cover running costs. Even though the fund will need to be distributed among thousands of art venues across the country, Mr Wakefield remains positive.
He said: “Putting £400 million is not a lot when compared with £1.57 billion that the government has already spent to help art venues. But as long as it is spent correctly and given to people who genuinely need it, it will be vital for many museums to survive.”