Tuesday 21st March, 2023
The Tories are bringing home the bacon to marginal seats like Colchester, as the Department for Culture, Media and Sport fronts more than half a million pounds to the town’s cultural institutions.
Colchester Library and Colchester Museums will each receive a share of the £566,350 windfall from Arts Council England on behalf of the government. And with a general election looming, the timing of the cash injection suggests that porkbelly politics may be at play.
But despite the political implications, Labour and the LibDems are keen to be seen as part of the good news story. Both parties have welcomed the funding and are careful not to rock the consensus.
The money will enable Colchester Library to create a new Children’s Imagination and Literacy Centre, featuring interactive science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics equipment.
The centre will have a Roman theme in keeping with Colchester’s history and will include augmented reality mirrors, a bubble screen, infinity mirrors, and specialist LED lighting. It will also feature a mobile Interactive Projection Technology system for inter-generational sensory experiences.
Essex County Council will contribute £112,500 to the project, which will help to improve literacy in the area and meet Levelling Up ambitions.
David King, LibDem Leader of Colchester Council, told the local newspaper that the investment will help many young people and make the library an even better place.
Meanwhile, Colchester Museums will use the funding to carry out vital repairs to Hollytrees Museum, a Grade 1-listed Georgian townhouse that attracts around 40,000 visitors each year.
The building, which was converted into a museum in 1929 and is home to historic collections, is in desperate need of roof repairs to prevent water damage and access issues.
Labour Councillor and PPC Pam Cox, who is responsible for Culture and Heritage, is delighted that the city has been awarded the history-preserving funding.
She thanked the DCMS, Arts Council England, and Colchester Council for their generous support of the project via the local newspaper.
If porkbelly politics is back on the agenda, then you’d be a FOOL not to feast on the benefits that short term funding can bring.
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