Hundreds of theatres and museums face closure as crisis in sectors laid bare
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Alarm in sector as four in 10 of Britain’s theatres as well as many regional museums containing local and national archives are on the brink of closure. 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.
![[Cultural leaders are asking the chancellor Rachel Reeves to provide more cash to support the industry]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/12/16/15/cfc9d575df4d412025b5a2b91670ed59Y29udGVudHNlYXJjaGFwaSwxNzM0NDQ4NTkz-2.78443615.jpg)
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.
![[Former culture minister Ed Vaizey, who is now on the board of directors for the Tate, has warned of ‘the danger of cultural wastelands’ being created]](https://static.independent.co.uk/s3fs-public/thumbnails/image/2009/11/14/00/olympiad.jpeg)
There are around 1,110 theatres currently operatating across the UK, according to the Theatres Trust. The report also warns that:. 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 ever-increasing financial pressures.
“Production costs are rising faster than inflation, with energy bills up 120 per cent since 2019. Public investment in the arts has declined by 48 per cent in real terms over the past 14 years, and 40 per cent of venues risk closure over the next five years without significant capital investment.”.
Looking at the impact of Rachel Reeves’s Budget, Ms Essex added: “Theatres are now facing additional challenges, with the rises in business costs with national insurance and national living wage increases, adding to the fragility of the sector and resulting in many theatres facing difficult decisions.
