Councillors welcome £2.7m investment in York’s cultural institutions

York’s Liberal Democrat councillors have welcomed the news that six key city organisations have received much needed funds from Arts Council England as part of their latest round of investment programme for national portfolio organisations.

Commenting on the news, Councillor Darryl Smalley, Executive Member for Culture, Leisure and Communities at City of York Council, said:

“This funding is a critical lifeline for cultural and heritage sectors in York, which are facing an extremely uncertain and difficult time - recovery from the pandemic's impacts is far from over, and the energy hike and cost-of-living crisis mean it's harder to pay bills and earn income from ticket sales. 

"These are the institutions that give us pride and are the life-blood of our communities, they make York the wonderful city it is to live, work and visit. We have worked hard locally to support the cultural and arts sector in the city throughout the turbulence of the last few years. I’m relieved to see that this vital support has been given to the institutions we know and love locally. The fact Arts Council England has significantly increased its investment in York, now totalling £2.76m for local NPOs, is a vote of confidence in York’s thriving cultural scene.

“My congratulations goes to these organisations for the months of work getting to this point has taken, and for their steadfast support of our city and residents. We will continue to lobby the Government, and work with representatives from York’s cultural, music and creative sectors to support our cultural and heritage organisations.”