Olympics Lottery Funding Devasting Culture

Speaking in DCMS Questions today in the House of Commons, Liberal Democrat Arts and Culture Spokesman Paul Holmes MP questioned the Secretary of State over lottery funding for the Olympics. Commenting afterwards Paul Holmes MP said:

"The Minister refused to give a guarantee that lottery funds for good causes would not be raided for extra money to pay for an Olympic overspend. All the arts, heritage and culture organisations that depend on lottery funding must now face the threat of further funding cuts.

"The Lottery has already committed £1.5 billion towards the Olympics. £750 million will come from the Olympic lottery games and a further £750 million will be diverted from existing good causes between 2006 and 2012. Diverting additional money from the lottery to meet the current £900 million shortfall would mean that the Big Lottery Fund could lose £450 million. This is the equivalent of £500,000 in every constituency in the UK. This scale of funding cut will further reduce the ability of our cultural institutions to keep up with their competitors abroad. Already our museums and galleries have had to almost entirely cease acquisitions. Inevitably this funding cut will affect the UK's attraction to tourists. The Cultural Olympiad will fail if these cuts go ahead. There is a real danger that charges to the public will increase and our cultural institutions will no longer be accessible and affordable to all.

"Tessa Jowell should be fighting for funding for the cultural sector, not allowing more and more of its funds to be siphoned away to meet the rising demands of the Olympics."