Joe GallopThe Prime Minister has announced the creation of four new departments and appointed Lucy Frazer as Culture Secretary, replacing Michelle Donelan.
The changes mean the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) will lose responsibility for the digital sector and will now become the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
Michelle Donelan becomes the new Science Secretary heading up the new Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. The other two new departments are the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and the Department for Business and Trade.
The change makes Frazer the 13th Culture Secretary in the last 13 years.
The PM says a re-focused DCMS will recognise the importance of the culture, media and sport to the economy and build on the UK’s position as a global leader in the creative arts.
Sacha Lord, the Night Time Economy Adviser for Greater Manchester, welcomed the appointment of the Culture Secretary: “The sector has experienced the toughest years in its history and with this move I hope the support it is given starts to reflect its importance to economic growth.
“I encourage the new Culture Secretary to work urgently with the Chancellor ahead of his Spring Budget next month in order to deliver renewed opportunity and hope to the hundreds of thousands of hard working people our sector employs.
“I also urge the Secretary to call on the Chancellor to rethink business energy support, which will fall away substantially from next month leading to the inevitable closure of swathes of cultural and leisure venues across the UK.”