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Cities are integral to culture and culture is the lifeblood of cities.
But the way in which we support culture is not keeping pace with the huge economic, demographic, and political changes sweeping across the UK.
New times call for new measures. The UK urgently needs a locally-informed national debate about the future of culture in our cities, which generates a new culture-led civic vision, and which inspires new approaches to support and investment.
BOP is delighted to be managing the Cultural Cities Enquiry, a new initiative from the Arts Council England, Arts Council Northern Ireland, Arts Council Wales, Core Cities, Creative Scotland, Key Cities and London Councils which will provide a forum for this much needed debate.
Leaders from the cultural, education, and finance sectors are serving on the board of the Enquiry, which is chaired by Virgin Money CEO, Jayne-Anne Gadhia.
BOP Consulting was founded in Manchester and we return there on Thursday of this week for the first of a series of roundtables to inform the Enquiry. This will be followed by events in Birmingham, Belfast, Cardiff, Liverpool, Norwich and Wakefield.
As we tour the country, we are confident that we will learn more about the inspirational work of our cultural sector - how it drives local economic growth, building self-esteem, confidence and pride: all the reasons why we should want to grow investment in culture.
But most importantly, the Enquiry aims to develop ambitious and practical approaches that can secure this critical investment.
This is an urgent and crucial issue, so we are proud to be playing our part and looking for as many ideas and insights as possible. Please use the call for evidence facility on the website of the Enquiry to get involved.
The Future of Culture in UK Cities
UK Launches Major Enquiry into Future of Cultural Investment in Cities
Apr 18, 2018
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By BOP Consulting
Jonathan Todd
Chief Economist
Jonathan is an economist with over a decade’s experience in impact assessment and evaluation, and high-level policy experience, particularly within the cultural and creative sectors.
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