THE NEXT BATTLE FOR DEVOLUTION LIES IN THE GUIDANCE
Arts Professional
Co-authored by Steve Mannix and Martin Prendergast
Back in January, when writing about culture’s absence from the English Devolution Bill, the concern was simple: government was redesigning how England would be governed for a generation, yet culture risked being left out of the settlement.
That argument has moved on. Parliament has now recognised culture within the mission and devolution framework for the new Mayoral Authorities. That is very welcome, but legislation is only the beginning. The real test lies in the government guidance that will follow.
The guidance will determine how Strategic Authorities interpret their responsibilities, how they work with Arts Council England, local government and other funders on whether culture is treated as central to their core mission or remains a discretionary add-on.
This matters because the new authorities will operate across much larger geographies, with responsibility for economic development, skills, transport, regeneration and place. Bigger structures can bring strategic strength, but they can also encourage simplification.
With extreme budget pressures we are already seeing conversations about rationalising provision, transferring much valued community assets out of their portfolios and reducing perceived duplication between neighbouring areas. On paper, that can look efficient. In practice, it seriously threatens the local cultural ecology that makes places work.
