By North East Lincolnshire becomes one of nation’s 54 priority places
Arts Council England have revealed that North East Lincolnshire is now one of the nation’s 54 priority places and one of 15 in the North.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, NEL has been awarded £3,091,798 by the Arts Council.
They would like to develop new investment, collaboration and progress opportunities in the area as part of their three-year Delivery Plan for 2021-2024.
The plan outlines their strategy, ‘Let’s Create’, which aims to get the area flourishing with creativity and cultural experiences by 2030.
It follows the Government’s £1.96b Culture Recovery Fund, managed by the Arts Council and others.
It is being driven by Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden and received backing from Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak.
As the nation recovers from the pandemic, NELC believes it is essential that the boroughs have their creative heritage explored and celebrated.
Examples include the recent Festival of the Sea and the upcoming Festival of the Sky Presents.
Art organisations such as The Culture House and Our Big Picture have been providing locals with a variety of opportunities.
The Art Council also own programmes such as Creative People & Places (with a budget of £23m for 2021-2022), the new Place Partnership fund (with a budget of £7m for 2021-2022).
They also support the Government’s funding streams which includes UK City of Culture and the Stronger Towns Fund.
Darren Henley, Chief Executive, Arts Council England, said: “Artists, arts organisations, museums and libraries have found creative new ways to serve their audiences and communities since the start of the pandemic.
“Our new Delivery Plan shows how we’ll work with them to build on that spirit of imagination and innovation as our society reopens.”
Cllr Callum Procter, Cabinet member for Economic Growth at North East Lincolnshire Council, said: “This is really positive news for our area.
“It’s great to have a renewed focus on culture, building on the great work done so far, particularly through the Grimsby Creates programme.
“We’re really putting cultural activity at the heart of the investment in our towns, and this will help our local creative individuals and organisations to do more with our local communities.”
