ARTS venues facing closure have been handed £15 million of lifeline support after the Scottish Government announced emergency cash for the sector seven weeks after being passed on funding from Westminster.
Nicola Sturgeon announced the culture organisations and venues recovery fund as part of £59 million of funding for the arts sector overall.
The recovery fund will help support comedy venues, large music venues, commercial theatres, orchestras, art galleries, studios and nightclubs and comes after the First Minister was accused of elitism by Glasgow nightclub owner Donald MacLeod.
Ms Sturgeon said the funding will “safeguard key parts of our cultural infrastructure”.
READ MORE: Nicola Sturgeon accused of 'elitism' as clubs, pubs and music venues issue funding warning
She added: “The culture and heritage sectors are, of course, hugely important to our economy, but they’re also really important to our wellbeing and happiness as a country.
“They’ve been very hard hit by this pandemic and we’re determined to do everything we reasonably can to support them.”
Funding will also be made available for Historic Environment Scotland, as well as support for freelancers, the development of new creative work, independent cinemas are youth arts.
The funding also includes £21.3 million for Historic Environment Scotland (HES) to protect jobs and support the reopening of properties in their care.
An additional £5.9 million will be made available to support heritage organisations and £270,000 for the New Lanark Trust will help secure the future of one of Scotland’s six World Heritage Sites.
The package also includes £5 million to help creative freelancers, £5 million to support artists to continue developing new creative work and £1.5 million for the Culture Collective programme.
Independent cinemas have also been handed £3.5 million and youth arts will received £3 million of funding.
Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop said: “It’s been an extremely trying time for everyone in the culture and heritage sectors over the last few months. The major issues presented by the pandemic are not going away but as we slowly start to reopen, this funding will provide much needed emergency support and aid the recovery.
“We have taken time to work closely with and listen carefully to the sectors, to understand exactly what they need. We want to reach as many people as possible and I do believe these funds will make a marked difference in ensuring our culture and heritage sectors not only survive the pandemic but thrive in future.”
The Stand comedy club, which has venues in Edinburgh and Glasgow, has welcomed the news after warning it faced permanent closure without additional funding.
A spokesperson added: “We look forward to hearing the full details of what will be offered and assurances that a realistic amount will be ringfenced specifically for comedy to save our beloved industry and the hundreds of jobs that rely on it.
“We would like to thank all the comedians and members of the public who have given us their support and we hope to see them all back watching live comedy soon.”
But Conservatives have raised concerns over why the full amount of the £97 million which was passed to the Scottish Government form Westminster, still hasn't been allocated.
Scottish Conservative culture spokesperson, Maurice Golden, said: “There’s nothing funny about Nicola Sturgeon’s lack of support for our comedy, arts and culture sector.
“Thousands of jobs are at risk here and a number of businesses could go under."
He added: “The First Minister herself promised the UK Government funding would be passed on ‘in full’ and that still has not happened.
“We need answers about why this vital funding is sitting in a Scottish Government account when it needs to be out there protecting jobs and businesses.”
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