Recently we saw a refocusing of what was previously the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport with the ‘digital’ responsibility removed. We now also have Lucy Frazer, a new Secretary of State at the Department for Culture, Media & Sport. Together these changes present a real opportunity to build the UK’s position as a global leader in the creative arts.
In order to achieve such a title, it requires the UK to focus inwards – looking at which cities and towns are lacking cultural investment, and putting culture at the heart of the economic strategy to level up the country.
This is what prompted Key Cities, a national network of 27 cities representing urban living in the UK, to explore what culture means in our towns and cities, and how that translates into public funding programmes. As a result we recently published a new report, Culture and Place in Britain, in partnership with Arts Council England.
The report presents extensive data about cities in England, Wales and Scotland, supplemented with expert contributions from cultural organisations and universities in the Key Cities Innovation Network, making a strong case for investment in culture as a means to help places to help themselves.
The key finding of the report highlights a clear correlation between cities with a limited cultural offer and higher socio-economic deprivation. At the moment, there are too many places up and down the country crying out for cultural investment and infrastructure, whose communities are suffering as a result. And there is little point in bigging up culture unless we can back it up with successful examples from every part of the country.
Moreover, the report recommends a £100m investment in creative microclusters to spread economic growth and opportunity more evenly around the country. Places that are outside combined authorities and creative clusters can utilise microclusters as a vehicle to drive cultural and creative-led regeneration. For example, research from the University of Central Lancashire found that a £1m injection into Lancashire’s creative sector resulted in an £1.47m economic boost to the county. Such an approach could substantially help to build and strengthen local microclusters, and support wider communities in turn.
The report calls for culture to be placed at the heart of a new drive towards local devolution and to empower city leaders and councils. They are best placed to drive positive change within their communities, whether through improving local services, facilitating partnerships or working with other stakeholders. Funding is crucial, but giving places the power to instigate their own initiatives is central to ensuring their long-term success.
Local governments also have a key role to play in convening, connecting and coordinating. Council support of initiatives, even with modest or no funding, can be crucial in obtaining support from sponsors, partners and local stakeholders. Through a place-based approach, culture can open up new skills and opportunities that can be matched to the needs and strengths of local areas.
We also need the Government to work together with us, to achieve genuinely hyper-local devolution that connects policy agendas and empowers communities. Some of the other recommendations in the report include: developing more long-term programmes to build up cultural ecosystems, supporting free public libraries, and helping to establish a cooperative platform for knowledge exchange through Arts Council England.
There is a huge opportunity for culture to play a fundamental role in boosting places and supporting communities. From large-scale initiatives like the UK City of Culture, which have left a lasting legacy in Derry, Hull and Coventry, to smaller events taking place in local theatres, town halls and streets every day.
We hope the Government appreciates how culture could transform our towns and cities, and truly level up the country. Culture is not just a nice-to-have. It’s an essential element of our economic success, and what can make us stand out in the global market.
Cllr Alan Waters is Key Cities culture portfolio lead and leader of Norwich City Council
