Boris Johnson highlights recent successes and sets out plans to help buskers and artists, but little is planned to improve access to culture in London’s outer boroughs.
Patrick Collins (CC BY-ND 2.0)
The Mayor of London has promised to champion the need for investment in culture and will commission an evidence-based report from the Greater London Authority into the economic and social value of London’s cultural and creative industries. In an update to his 2010 strategy, ‘Cultural Metropolis’, Boris Johnson recognises the relationship between London’s cultural sector and that of the regions as one of “positive and mutual interdependence”. Acknowledging that half of all oversees visitors come via London, he will be working with Visit Britain and London & Partners to produce a ‘London Plus’ tourism strategy that encourages tourists to visit other parts of the country.
The original Cultural Metropolis document was anchored by the 2012 Olympics, and this update summarises recent achievements and the successes of the Cultural Olympiad. Progress is marked against key challenges including lack of investment; poor access to culture in London’s outer boroughs; confusing bureaucratic regulations; a lack of routes into the sector; and the rising price of artists’ studio space.
The Mayor has committed to continue addressing some of these issues including a feasibility study into a red-tape-cutting, London-wide approach to live music performances in public spaces that aims to support buskers; a £1.2m employment project delivered with the Berkeley Foundation; and a commitment to working with regeneration, economic and policy and planning departments to “integrate artists’ workspace into wider strategic issues”. But despite acknowledging the ongoing problem of London’s arts and culture not being “evenly distributed and enjoyed”, no new initiatives have been announced for supporting access to culture in London’s outer boroughs.
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