A new national fund for the UK’s creative, cultural and heritage sectors, based on need, is urged by a year-long study.
The UK Government should develop a new national fund dedicated to the creative,
cultural and heritage ecosystem which should be distributed based on need –
not competition.
That is one of the recommendations from a year-long evidence-led project published for policy makers. It comes from public affairs and policy consultancy Culture Commons, alongside 30 partners.
It has investigated how devolution and increased local decision making might impact on the UK’s creative, cultural, and heritage ecosystem.
‘The Future of Cultural Devolution in the UK’ includes participation from Art Fund; several
combined authorities in England, Belfast City Council, Cardiff City Council; Scotland’s
Culture Counts; and major funding bodies including Arts Council England and the Paul
Hamlyn Foundation.
Policymakers at all levels of government – local, regional and national – are urged to adopt six
new Policy Principles, that underpin the twenty more granular recommendations:
- Harness the lens of place
- Back local authorities to maintain their role as anchors
- Facilitate decision making across wider spatial scales
- Move away from purely competition-based models of funding
- Enable multi-agency decision making
- Engage the public in decision making at all tiers of governance
It also recommends that Mayors in England should be handed significant new powers and
responsibilities for being made about the creative, cultural and heritage life of their regions.
Laura Dyer, Deputy Chief Executive Places of Engagement & Libraries at Arts Council England, said: “Through our work across villages, towns and cities in England, we know the positive impact that creativity can and does have on people, places and communities; that is why we
remain committed to investing in local creativity and facilitating strong partnerships, particularly as new opportunities arise through English devolution.
Jane Richardson, Chief Executive Officer, Amgueddfa Cymru, added: “As a family of seven museums, Amgueddfa Cymru looks after the national collection of Wales which represents and celebrates our art, history, science and diverse cultures.
“Partnership is at the heart of what we do as an organisation. I’m so glad we were able
to come on board with the Culture Commons partners earlier this year.
A full breakdown of findings, principles and recommendations can be found on The Future of Cultural Devolution in the UK microsite.
