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Art, heritage and sport
Art, heritage and sport
Liberal Democrats have a proud tradition of championing the arts, culture and heritage, which successive governments have undervalued. This Government’s move towards greater state interference in the arts has threatened to stifle artistic freedom. We will restore the National Lottery funds’ independence, requiring the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to separate clearly government spending from independently determined Lottery spending in its annual reports. We will end Labour’s freeze in the core Arts Council budget, guaranteeing that growth in core arts funding at least matches inflation. We will help protect the built environment by reducing VAT on historic building repairs. We will increase grassroots sports funding, and support the UK’s 2012 Olympic and Paralympic bid.