The value and benefit of culture is not just economic. Here Dr Henry Kippin and Professor Katy Shaw discuss culture and devolution in the context of the North East.
The North East has always been a cultural and creative powerhouse. While the value of culture is core to the economy and growth, its value and benefit does not begin and end with the economic. The culture of the North East is a unique connection between our past, present and future. When we think of the North East of England, its the cultural landmarks of the region that loom large in our popular imagination. From the Angel of the North to the Baltic, Durham Cathedral to Spanish City, the North East has always been a cultural powerhouse.
But questions about the ‘value’ of this culture and who pays for it have dominated debates in national and local government across the last ten years. Local government is the biggest investor in culture in the UK but, in the words of LGA chair of culture, tourism and sport Liz Green, our contemporary operational contexts is a ‘need to do things differently locally, and nationally’. In practice, this means an increasing ask on local government ‘to make money go as far as it possibly can’ and ‘do things differently’ by collaborating cross-sector and mobilising cultural assets in partnership with new combined authorities in England.
The value of culture
Local Government Association (LGA) analysis in October 2023 showed that English councils face a £4 billion funding gap in 2024 and in 2025 just to maintain services standing still, following a real-terms reduction in funding of 24 per cent since 2010... Keep reading on Local Government Association.
The North East has always been a cultural and creative powerhouse. While the value of culture is core to the economy and growth, its value and benefit does not begin and end with the economic. The culture of the North East is a unique connection between our past, present and future. When we think of the North East of England, its the cultural landmarks of the region that loom large in our popular imagination. From the Angel of the North to the Baltic, Durham Cathedral to Spanish City, the North East has always been a cultural powerhouse.
But questions about the ‘value’ of this culture and who pays for it have dominated debates in national and local government across the last ten years. Local government is the biggest investor in culture in the UK but, in the words of LGA chair of culture, tourism and sport Liz Green, our contemporary operational contexts is a ‘need to do things differently locally, and nationally’. In practice, this means an increasing ask on local government ‘to make money go as far as it possibly can’ and ‘do things differently’ by collaborating cross-sector and mobilising cultural assets in partnership with new combined authorities in England.
The value of culture
Local Government Association (LGA) analysis in October 2023 showed that English councils face a £4 billion funding gap in 2024 and in 2025 just to maintain services standing still, following a real-terms reduction in funding of 24 per cent since 2010... Keep reading on Local Government Association.