Last week, eleven local cultural organisations were awarded funding from the Government's Cultural Recovery Fund.
These organisations collectively received over £2m from the fund, by the Arts Council, which has been labelled a "lifeline" for many.
The Stables, Bletchley Park, MK Gallery and The Craufurd Arms are amongst those each receiving hundreds of thousands of pounds. Read the full list here.
And although this is positive news for those involved, last week residents showed their disappointment that many other venues did not receive a penny.
Unit Nine in Wolverton and MK11 Live Music Venue in Kiln Farm were amongst those not successful in their applications to the Arts Council. These venues, like other music venues across the country, have been closed since March.
And with no income, they are struggling to pay for overheads and staff wages. Both live music venues have set up crowdfunding pages to raise much-needed funds, with residents donating thousands of pounds.
Upon receiving the news that their application was rejected, bosses from Unit Nine criticised the "generic" feedback they received from the Arts Council saying it was "clearly a copy and paste job".
And MK11 admitted that they "don't know what's in store". Staff from the venue are currently exploring what they can do to raise funds and have thanked residents for their "huge outpouring of support".
Over the weekend, local MPs Ben Everitt and Iain Stewart welcomed Government funding for two more arts venues.
And during this announcement, Ben Everitt MP stated that he is currently talking to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to see if there are ways to support Unit Nine and MK11.
He commented: “It’s fantastic news the Government is supporting even more MK venues through this pandemic because they offer so much to our local communities and the local economy.
“I am still looking at ways we can find funding for MK11 and Unit Nine and I know there is a real passionate support base for both of these venues.
“I’ve written to the Minister at DCMS asking if there is any support we can offer and I’ll continue to work with the Government to see what we can do.”
