‘Major policy breakthrough’ as culture is included in England’s devolution bill

Culture is to be made an official responsibility for Strategic Authorities for the first time under an amendment to the UK Government’s English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill.

Designed to shift more power out of Westminster, the devolution bill will create a new architecture for local government across England, introducing the concept of Strategic Authorities that bring more than one local authority together over a large geography. The legislation will significantly strengthen the role of directly elected mayors by expanding their powers to stimulate regional growth.

The amendment, which is due to undergo further scrutiny in the House of Lords, will establish “culture” as an eighth area of competence within the bill, alongside the seven other policy areas, giving mayors new powers to champion arts, heritage and the creative industries.

The minister for devolution, Miatta Fahnbulleh, said: “Each region in England has its own unique history, culture and identity. It’s right that we recognise that, champion it, and provide the people in those communities with the powers they need to make the most of the places they call home.

“We’ve listened to what our regions want and need - and that’s why we are providing the powers that local leaders need, and the accountability local people deserve, to make a real difference at the heart of villages, towns and cities up and down the country.”

The development comes after the original draft of the bill was criticised for failing to explicitly include the arts, culture and heritage, meaning those sectors were at risk of being overlooked in future devolution settlements.

Sharon Heal, the director of the Museums Association, said: “We warmly welcome the amendment to the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill to include culture. This will help to bring decision making closer to local museums and the communities they serve.

“There was a risk that museums might be overlooked in the bill, so we are delighted that the powerful role museums and culture can play in creating community cohesion, fostering a sense of place and belonging and supporting local economies to thrive has been recognised.”

Culture Commons, a not-for-profit advocacy group that has been lobbying for the inclusion of culture in the bill, hailed the amendment as a “major policy breakthrough” that will recognise culture “not as an optional extra, but as essential infrastructure for growth, identity and community”.

In a statement, the group said: “In practice, this prominence gives Strategic Authorities a clear mandate to take a more coherent and strategic approach to the creative, cultural and heritage sectors and support local authorities within their footprints to deliver on their ambitions.

“It further opens up an opportunity to align our sectors with other agendas in the bill, including growth, regeneration, health and skills, while recognising their distinctive role in supporting identity, civic life and place too.”

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“This really does feel like a turning point,” Trevor MacFarlane, the founder of Culture Commons, told Museums Journal.

“Over the past two years, we’ve been working across the sector - with ministers, mayors, parliamentarians, researchers and cultural organisations - to make the case that culture should sit at the heart of the devolution agenda, and you can now see that recognition taking shape.”

The bill is currently at the report stage in the House of Lords, when peers have the opportunity to closely scrutiny elements of the legislation and make changes. The final day of the report stage is due to take place on Monday 13 April.

‘Museums have a central role to play’

“What’s changed here is significant. Culture is moving from being a downstream beneficiary of other policy areas to becoming a driver of how devolution delivers for communities and something that can be seen and felt on the ground.

Museums have a central role to play in that. They are part of the civic infrastructure of so many villages, towns and cities across the country: trusted, locally rooted spaces where people come together to explore the past, make sense of the present and imagine new futures together.

For the first time, regional leaders will now have a legislatively backed mandate to act in the interests of their creative and cultural ecosystems. The opportunity is to build on the work already happening within local authorities and to work in partnership with sector networks – like the English Civic Museums Network – that support museums to make the very most of their assets and continue to act as strong sector advocates.

The task now is to shape policy that adds value rather than cuts across what already exists – maintaining the arm’s length principle at the sub-regional level , while enabling more joined-up, collaborative decision-making. And of course, we need to find new ways to irrigate the ecosystem with investment that reaches the places that need it most.

Get this right, and this is more than a bill – it’s a new chapter for cultural life in England, with museums playing a leading role.”

Trevor MacFarlane, director and CEO, Culture Commons