A council has welcomed news of more than £8 million of investment in arts venues.

Arts Council England has announced its 2023 to 2026 investment commitments and East Sussex County Council has welcomed the good news.

Eight organisations in East Sussex are set to benefit from a total of £8.3 million over the three years, which is a 25 per cent increase for the county since the last spending round.

“This is fantastic news for the individual organisations and for East Sussex as a whole.  This significant investment in our cultural sector will help to secure jobs, ensure work for our creative freelancers, keep our venues open and bring great experiences to our residents and visitors,” said Councillor Rupert Simmons, East Sussex County Council’s lead member for economy.

The organisations to benefit from the investment are:

  • Project Art Works in Hastings, which works with people with complex needs
  • Hastings Contemporary
  • De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill
  • Glyndebourne, an opera house near Lewes
  • Towner Eastbourne, which is hosting the Turner Prize in 2023
  • Home Live Art in Hastings
  • Devonshire Collective in Eastbourne, a cultural and community organisation
  • Hastings Museum and Art Gallery

Devonshire Collective and Hastings Museum and Art Gallery are the newest organisations to secure a three-year funding arrangement.

Devonshire Collective will receive a total of £210,000 over the three years, while Hastings Museum and Art Gallery will receive £150,000 per year from 2023 to 2026.

Project Art Works, an art studio for neurodiverse artists, has had a £350,000 boost to annual funding. It will receive a total of £1.5 million in funding over the next three years.

Hastings Contemporary will receive over £100,000 per year, while Home Live Art will continue to receive £76,823 for the next three years.

De La Warr Pavilion will receive over £1.5 million in funding from 2023 to 2026. 

Glyndebourne secured the most funding in the county with a pledge of £800,000 a year. 

Towner, a contemporary art gallery in Eastbourne, will receive a £172,000 bonus to its yearly grant, increasing from £365,000 to £537,000. 

The successful organisations went through a rigorous application process, the council said, providing a detailed three-year business plan, including plans for how they will work with their community and how they will adopt or improve their environmentally responsible practices.

Cllr Simmons added: “East Sussex County Council champions all of the cultural sector and values all the organisations in the county that add to our quality of life, support our physical and mental wellbeing, give marginalised communities a voice, protect and celebrate our heritage and help to contribute to our visitor economy.”