Chancellor Rishi Sunak has announced plans for a new Beatles attraction in Liverpool as part of yesterday’s (October 27) Budget.
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Details are unclear as to what the project will be and how it will differ from the current museum dedicated to the Fab Four in the city.
The development is part of an £850million investment to protect museums, galleries, libraries and local culture across the UK.
Speaking in the House Of Commons, Sunak said: “Thanks to the Culture Secretary [Nadine Dorries], over 800 regional museums and libraries will be renovated, restored, and revived.
“And she’s secured up to £2million to start work on a new Beatles attraction on the Liverpool waterfront.”
— BBC North West (@BBCNWT) October 27, 2021
Reacting to the budget plans for culture, AIF CEO Paul Reed said: “We look forward to hearing more detail about some of the measures announced by the Chancellor today, in particular the allocation of further COVID-19 recovery funding for the cultural sector.
“On the surface, however, it doesn’t go far enough in supporting our truly world-leading festival industry. It is clear that the most effective way for the Government to support the industry’s recovery into 2022 and beyond would be to extend the VAT reduction on tickets, look closely at a permanent cultural VAT rate, and completely remove festivals based on agricultural land from the business rates system. Unfortunately, none of this was forthcoming today.”
Sunak’s announcement comes months after a cinema George Harrison and John Lennon spent their teenage years attending was saved from demolition in Liverpool.
The Abbey Cinema in Wavertree, Liverpool featured in The Beatles‘ personal writings and the original lyrics of their 1965 song “In My Life”, officially closed in 1979.
Meanwhile, yesterday Wilco shared two covers by The Beatles as part of a celebration of the band’s final album Let It Be.
In other Beatles news, Peter Jackson‘s forthcoming documentary series The Beatles: Get Back will premiere on Disney+ from November 25-27.
The Beatles: Get Back will tell “the story of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr as they plan their first live show in over two years, capturing the writing and rehearsing of 14 new songs, originally intended for release on an accompanying live album.”