Liverpool cultural organisations to receive £2.7m in funding to support post-pandemic recovery

Cabinet has today given the green light to award £2.712m to 27 cultural organisations in Liverpool.

As part of the Culture & Arts Investment Programme (CAIP), Liverpool City Council is set to receive funding that will be invested in theatre, music events, festivals and visual arts

The CAIP programme contributes to a number of priorities outlined in the Council Plan which aims to help create engaging and interactive neighbourhood programmes that are representative of, and engage with, Liverpool’s diverse communities.

This means that the vital sector – which boosts the local economy by around £30m – can move forward with delivering events, exhibitions and shows which will help them recover and aim to get back to operating at pre-pandemic levels.

Latest figures presented as part of the Cabinet report show just how hard-hit the city’s art scene was by Covid-19. During the height of the pandemic the economic impact dropped by almost £5m and nearly 100 jobs were lost.

In 2019/20 the funded organisations reached an audience of 2.7 million, dropping to just over 260,000 in 2020/21. Last year, recovery was slow but venues attracted around 1 million visitors.

Speaking on CAIP, Liverpool City Council’s cabinet member for culture and visitor economy, Councillor Harry Doyle said:

“It goes without saying how valued culture and arts are in Liverpool and I am proud that we are able to invest in organisations which help drive economic growth, boost community pride and promote wellbeing across the city.

“Each of the 27 organisations play a vital role in the cultural fabric of our city – the programmes they curate, events they hold and performances they stage are engaging, entertaining, thought-provoking, boundary-pushing – exactly what Liverpool is renowned for.

“We know that Covid decimated this sector and we want to do as much as we can to help it revive and thrive. It’s an exciting new chapter for the arts in Liverpool and the sector is are ready to welcome back visitors and showcase exceptional talent in an exceptional city.”

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