Local libraries, museums, festivals, heritage and the arts have never been more important as we recover from the pandemic.
During the pandemic, people turned to culture for solace and connection.
Local cultural services, such as libraries, museums, theatres and arts centres, reached out to communities in lockdown to address isolation, support mental wellbeing and provide educational opportunity.
As we move towards recovery, we face a whole new set of challenges: rising inequalities exacerbated by the experience of the past two years; a growing cost of living crisis; climate change; and global instability.
Under these circumstances, it would be tempting to dismiss investment in cultural services as a luxury we can’t afford – but, for the same reasons, these services have never been more important.
Cultural services and facilities bring people together at times of crisis; they provide support and social connection, help develop new adaptive skills, and underpin empathy and critical thinking.
In many cases, they act as a trusted source of information at a time when the concept of truth is under question.
These important community services remain vital, but they are under pressure.
“Cultural services bring people together at a time of crisis”
Councils are the biggest public funders of culture, spending more than £1 billion a year in England alone. They run a nationwide network of local cultural organisations, including 3,000 libraries, 350 museums, 116 theatres and numerous castles, amusement parks, monuments, historic buildings, parks and heritage sites.
This is the foundation of our national cultural infrastructure.
Despite this, we have seen investment in these services decline over the past 10 years and rising demand for statutory services, such as social care, put increasing strain on thinly stretched budgets.
The incredible work of council cultural teams and local cultural organisations too often goes under the radar, while funding for these services remains disjointed at a local level.
It is for this reason that I am delighted to be working with the LGA to chair the new Commission on Culture and Local Government.
The commission will gather evidence on the role local culture can play in supporting recovery from the pandemic.
Over the next nine months, we will be showcasing the incredible range of work cultural services and organisations are providing at a local level.
We will be making the case for culture at a national, regional and local level, so that those who work hard to advocate for culture have the evidence they need to really champion the value of investment with decision-makers.
We will also look at existing funding models and make practical recommendations about a more sustainable, collaborative and place-driven approach for future investment in culture.
We have a fantastic group of commissioners leading this piece of work, including important national funding bodies, foundation trusts, academics, local government cultural leaders, and arts practitioners.
Lord Neil Mendoza, the Government’s Commissioner for Cultural Recovery and Renewal, is acting as an official adviser to the commission, while the LGA’s Culture Tourism and Sport Board is providing support, and has committed to building our recommendations into its work with councils.
We are confident that there will be real impact from our work.
We want to make sure the commission reflects a diversity of voices and experience, so we hope you will all contribute to this programme and share your stories. Please do go to the LGA website to find out more about our work.
Commissioners for Culture and Local Government
Hasan Bakhshi, Director, Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre
Derri Burdon, Chief Executive, Curious Minds
Corey Campbell, Creative Director, Belgrade Theatre, Coventry
Nathan Geering, Artistic Director, Theatre Deli, Sheffield
Cllr Peter Golds CBE, Deputy Chair of LGA’s Culture, Tourism and Sport Board
Veda Harrison, Director of Creative, Confident Communities and a Fairer Future, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation
Val Birchall, immediate past Chair, Chief Culture and Leisure Officers Association
Eilish McGuinness, Chief Executive, National Heritage Lottery Fund
Samantha Richardson MBE, Director, National Coastal Tourism Academy
Petra Roberts, Cultural Development Manager, Hackney Council
Bobby Seagull, Reading Agency Champion and past Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals’ Libraries Champion
Professor Katy Shaw, Director of Cultural Partnerships, Northumbria University and author of the Northern Culture APPG report, ‘The case for culture’
Sir Nicholas Serota, Chair, Arts Council England
Sara Wajid MBE, Co-Chief Executive of Birmingham Museums Trust
Duncan Wilson OBE, Chief Executive, Historic England