North East Mayor Kim McGuinness is to use new powers to reshape arts funding in the region to ensure it supports economic growth as well as enriching culture.
McGuinness has wasted no time in taking new powers under the “Right to Request” process which forms part of the expanded regional devolution rolled out at a recent meeting of the Mayoral Council where England’s mayors met Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and reported by North East Bylines.
Other mayors have chosen to assume powers over other aspects of their region’s life – youth justice in Greater Manchester, for example, the use of tech to transform public services in Liverpool City Region, flood resilience in South Yorkshire and improving outcomes for young children in the West Midlands.
Culture as an engine of growth
In the North East, according to the government, the mayor and strategic authority “will work with Arts Council England to strengthen alignment between national and local investment in culture, including…discussions on the design of future operating models, such as regional boards. By aligning funding more closely with local priorities, the aim is to use arts investment as a driver of economic growth and a richer cultural offer for communities across the region.”
Communities Secretary Steve Reed, who rubber-stamped Right to Request deals with McGuinness and the other mayors, said: “This government is serious about shifting power out of Westminster and into the hands of our mayors. These agreements mean real change for communities across the country with more local decision-making, better services and a stronger voice for people who know their areas best. That’s what devolution is all about.
“These powers have been delivered under the new Right to Request process, a pioneering scheme that puts mayors in the driving seat on devolution. Under the scheme, mayors can formally request new controls, funding and partnerships from government, which is legally required to respond within six months.”
Comment
McGuinness’s choice of culture in this context is an interesting and potentially controversial one. On one hand, art-for-art’s-sake purists may balk at the idea of the arts being seen as servants of economic development. On the other, some at least of the region’s new Reform leaders question to value of spending public money at all on “vanity projects”. McGuinness, who is backing plans for an arena on Gateshead Quays, and Nick Allan, Reform leader of Gateshead Council, who will sit in her cabinet, have already had a tiff over the project.
