There does seem to be some prospect of better recognition of the needs of the cultural sector. That sector which did now receive a support package worth 300 million, about which there is a lot to do. However, the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science is not the only one dealing with culture. Home Affairs also has to do with culture, specifically culture in cities and towns.
Specifically, that ministry is now making a total of 60 million available to compensate local cultural institutions and creators for the damage suffered by corona. This brings the total amount of support for local culture to 108.5 million euros. at least, if we include the 48.5 million euros that the ministry of OCW has allocated to local culture from the support package of 300 million.
Parking fee
The letter reads: 'The cabinet has decided to provide an advance on compensation to co-governments of €60 million for the period from mid-March 2020 to 1 June 2020. This is with a view to safeguarding local and regional cultural infrastructure. Among other things, these organisations now lack income from ticket sales and catering, while fixed costs such as accommodation and security continue.' The money comes from a package worth a total of 225 million in aid to compensate for lost tourist tax and parking fees.
This can be read in a letter from Minister Ollongren, sent to the House today. In it are some other measures that cannot be converted directly into hard euros. For instance, the central government is now taking steps to freeze the accrual funds, and this is a form of freeze that for once has a positive effect. This is because accretion funds are contributions from the central government to municipalities that are linked to government spending. If the state makes cuts, for example in healthcare, the money for the Municipal Fund decreases accordingly. For many municipalities, this has been a reason in recent years to make additional cuts in culture and libraries, which are not core tasks.
Besides the 60 million for culture, Ollongren also comes up with a support amount of 24 million for local media.
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