TEES Valley and County Durham will be among of 15 priority places in the North where the Arts Council wants to develop new opportunities for investment, it will announce today.

Arts Council England’s three-year delivery plan follows the Government’s unprecedented £1.96 billion Culture Recovery Fund.

Driven by the Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden, with the backing of Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak, the fund is the biggest one-off investment in culture from the Government in history, providing a vital lifeline to save our cultural sector and help organisations prepare for reopening.

The delivery plan names 54 priority places across England. Arts Council will work closely with to develop new opportunities for investment.

The Tees Valley Combined Authority, which covers the five independent boroughs of Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar & Cleveland, and Stockton-on-Tees, has all the elements to further develop a flourishing cultural infrastructure.

Leaders say there is real opportunity to build on existing key cultural assets, such as mima, Tees Valley Museums, the Stockton International Riverside Festival, and the Festival of Thrift which is about to take place in Redcar.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, Tees Valley has received £5,096,910 investment from the Arts Council through the recovery fund.

Darren Henley, chief executive, Arts Council England, says “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.

“It’s particularly exciting to be focusing on our 54 priority places over the coming years, as part of the Arts Council’s commitment to play its part in delivering on the government’s programme of levelling up.

“We’re looking forward to nurturing dynamic new partnerships with local people and organisations in each of these locations.”

Jane Tarr, director, North, Arts Council England, said: “I am thrilled to announce that Tees Valley is among our 15 priority places across the North. The launch of our delivery plan, which sets out how we’ll implement our new 10-year strategy Let’s Create, and the announcement of our priority places will see us working closely with partners across Tees Valley to ensure that creativity and culture can play a key role in levelling up across the North.

“The Government’s Culture Recovery Fund has provided a lifeline to arts and cultural organisations during the pandemic. It is important that we now continue to invest in the cultural sector to ensure everyone across the country can access art and culture no matter where they live. The launch of our Delivery Plan and announcement of a set of priority places affirms our commitment to this.

“Across the Tees Valley we see organisations like Middlesbrough’s mima, Tees Valley Museums and the soon to take place Festival of Thrift in Redcar, inspiring local communities to engage with arts and culture.

“The cultural sector and local authority leads in the Tees Valley truly understand the value of great art and culture and they support the growth of cultural activity in the region. I look forward to working with these passionate organisations and individuals to realise their cultural ambitions.”

Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen added: “I’m delighted to see that the Arts Council has chosen the Tees Valley as one of its priority places.

“This comes at a vital time as the country continues its economic recovery following the effects of the coronavirus.

“Not only will this support help to promote and develop more high-quality experiences to give people things to look forward to after what has been a couple of incredibly difficult years, it will also directly boost the creative industries.

“On top of this, brilliant businesses in our towns and high streets across Teesside, Darlington and Hartlepool will benefit, as more people get out and about to check them out, in turn spending their cash in shops, restaurants and bars once again.”

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