Theatres and museums face closure in arts funding crisis

Four in 10 theatres are on the brink of shutting their doors

- DAVID MADDOX, JABED AHMED

Hundreds of theatres face closure and more than 500 museums have shut since the turn of the century, laying bare the true scale of the risk facing Britain’s cultural venues.

Leaders in the sector are urgently demanding major investment from the new Labour government as they grapple with fresh challenges including rising energy bills and the hike to employer national insurance contributions in the Budget. After years of cutbacks and underfunding, they have warned of “the danger of cultural wastelands” in a direct appeal to the chancellor Rachel Reeves and the culture secretary Lisa Nandy.

According to a report by the Society of London Theatre (SOLT) and UK Theatre, one in five venues needs at least £5m of investment over the next decade just to continue operating, and without significant capital investment, 40 per cent could close in the next five years.

There are around 1,110 theatres currently operating across the UK, according to the Theatres Trust.

The report also warns that:

• £20m is needed to save museums from shutting down

• 525 museums have already shut since the year 2000

• In the last year, London’s Jewish Museum, along with the Simon Lee, Fold, and Darren Flook galleries in Mayfair and Fitzrovia have closed

• Literary festivals are also under threat, with the announcement in September that Chipping Norton’s ChipLitFest will no longer take place

SOLT and UK Theatre co-chief executive Hannah Essex said: “We have a world-leading theatre sector that prides itself on its creativity and passion and is beloved by audiences across the country. However, theatres are having to cope with everincreasing financial pressures.