Committees

Countries of Culture inquiry launched

10 March 2016

The Culture, Media and Sport Committee launches an inquiry on Countries of Culture. The inquiry looks at ways to preserve and promote UK's cultural wealth.

Inquiry background

Britain has a rich and varied cultural offering, but in recent years there has been some debate about whether this cultural capital is too heavily concentrated in London, and concerns that local authority budget cuts are constraining the cultural offering in the regions.

In the last Parliament, the Committee held an inquiry into the Work of the Arts Council England (2014), which concluded that there is a clear arts funding imbalance in favour of London at the expense of tax payers and lottery players in other parts of the country, which must be urgently rectified.

With this conclusion in mind, the Committee wishes to build on that report and also look beyond the work of the Arts Council at our wider cultural landscape, to include arts, theatre, museums, and festivals.

Call for written submissions

The Committee invites written submissions from those who wish to contribute to the inquiry on the following areas:

  • The current funding situation for cultural sectors in the regions and sub-regions
  • The regional impact of local authority settlement on the cultural sector
  • New funding models in the cultural sector, including use of Lottery funding
  • Cultural partnerships in the regions, including with National Portfolio Organisations and Major Partner Museums
  • Skills, management and infrastructure of regional cultural institutions
  • Physical and virtual accessibility of cultural sectors in the regions, including digital outreach and engagement
  • Value and impact of culture in the regions

Send your written submission through the Countries of Culture inquiry page.

The deadline for written submissions is Saturday, 30 April 2016.

Chair's comment

Commenting on the inquiry, Jesse Norman, Chair of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee said:

"The UK has huge cultural and artistic riches in its regions and nations, including galleries, museums, music, theatre and festivals.  This inquiry will look at how best to preserve and enhance those resources, especially in the face of continuing budget pressures; at the impact of festivals and events in cultural regeneration; at enhanced linkages between national and regional institutions; and at new ways in which culture and the arts can be used to develop and revitalise communities."

Get involved

You can submit your views to the inquiry by using #countriesofculture on Twitter. You can also follow the Culture, Media and Sport Committee @CommonsCMS

Further information

Image: The Mac Belfast