The Autumn Statement has set aside £1m for a Great Exhibition in the north, which will ‘celebrate the great art, culture and design of the north’, as well as a £78m contribution towards a new theatre, arts centre and exhibition space called The Factory in Manchester.

The statement also confirmed the government’s offer of £10m to support Glasgow School of Art following the fire earlier this year.

There was £3m set aside for arts projects focussed on northern cities – including Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Sheffield and Newcastle – to commemorate the centenary of the First World War.

The government will also consider the benefits and costs of the relocation of the museum collections currently housed at Blythe House.

Sir Peter Bazalgette, Chair, Arts Council England said: “This additional investment in arts and culture in Manchester and beyond, including the Olympicopolis re-development, is recognition that arts and culture plays a critical role in regenerating our towns and cities.

"The Arts Council’s role is to nurture the cultural ecology across the whole country, and these measures will support us as we continue building on existing investment.

“A tax relief for orchestras now joins other tax credits designed to encourage our thriving creative industries, and underlines the role that arts and culture plays in our economy.

“These measures will help support arts and culture at a time when there are still funding pressures on our sector.”

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