A woman places a pink Culture Recovery Fund sticker on the window of a venue

Lord Mendoza has been credited with playing a key role in the creation of the Culture Recovery Fund

Photo: UK Government

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DCMS ditches Cultural Commissioner role

Role created by government to help the cultural sector recover from the impact of Covid pandemic is axed three-and-a-half years after its inception.

Neil Puffett
3 min read

A new Commissioner for Cultural Recovery and Renewal will not be appointed following the departure of Lord Neil Mendoza from the post, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has confirmed.

Mendoza was announced as the new Chair of Historic England last week, a role he will begin next month. DCMS has told Arts Professional that he will be stepping down as Commissioner for Cultural Recovery and Renewal and that there are no plans to recruit a successor.

As Commissioner for Culture, Mendoza was credited with playing a central role in securing the £1.57bn Culture Recovery Fund to help organisations affected by the pandemic.

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He was initially appointed to the role on 20 May 2020 on an 18-month term with an option to extend. His term was subsequently extended for 12 months followed by a further two six-month extensions. His most recent extension was due to come to an end on 19 November. 

However DCMS has confirmed that he is stepping down as Cultural Commissioner and that a successor will not be recruited.

Different context

A DCMS spokesperson said Mendoza was originally appointed "to support the sector’s recovery from the pandemic". 

"His appointment was extended in May [this year] by the current Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer to support key priority areas during this period," they said.

"However, following his appointment as the Chair of Historic England, and with the context being quite different to 2020, DCMS is not planning to appoint a new Commissioner at this point."

A report published in April found that the Cultural Recovery Fund prevented hundreds of arts organisations from going under and supported almost 220,000 sector jobs.

It funded organisations to bring in new audiences when closures and social distancing measures were enforced and allowed them to introduce new and improved offerings when they reopened.

Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer paid tribute to his efforts in the role following the announcement of his departure.

A huge thanks to [Neil Mendoza] for his hard work and all he has achieved as Commissioner of Culture and good luck in his new role at Historic England," she said.

Bernard Donoghue, Chief Executive of the Association for Leading Visitor Attractions, said: "Many congratulations to [Neil Mendoza] on being appointed Chair of Historic England – a proven and passionate advocate for culture and heritage as Commissioner for Culture, and was key to securing the Cultural Recovery Fund support for the sector during Covid."