West of England Cultural Compact

The challenge 

Established in 2017, the West of England Combined Authority is 1 of 10 Mayoral Combined Authorities (MCAs) in England. It also manages the West of England Local Enterprise Partnership – a public/private partnership and ‘business voice’ involving the Council areas for Bristol, Bath and North East Somerset, South Gloucestershire and North Somerset. In May 2021 the West of England Combined Authority welcomed its second elected Metro Mayor, Dan Norris.  

The West of England Combined Authority is responsible for over £1 billion of Government investment over 30 years to boost the region’s economic growth across housing, regional transport, adult skills, business support and inward investment. The population of 1,165,600 generates an economy worth over £40 billion. It is home to over 46,000 businesses and is the most productive city region in England outside of London, with 48 per cent of the working age population educated to degree level or higher.  

The Combined Authority is well placed to lead on culture, building on a strong cultural and creative economy: 7,000 businesses, 50,000 people employed, a £2 billion contribution. Anchored by the two major cities of Bristol and Bath, and with the diversity of urban, rural, and coastal landscapes, cultural heritage and communities, there is significant opportunity to drive cultural development across the region, enabling the Combined Authority to embed culture across a broad range of economic development areas (skills, transport, housing). This presents a significant opportunity to leverage investment into the region for the cultural and creative sector, taking a strategic perspective over a number of years.   

Yet while the West of England is broadly a very strong economy with high levels of productivity, four world-class universities and highly skilled workforce, significant challenges remain such as persistent deprivation, a disproportionately high number of businesses with low productivity, the vulnerability of freelancer economies, and infrastructure challenges around connectivity and housing affordability.  

The solution

The West of England Cultural Compact was formally established in 2021 with the aim to ‘focus and amplify the role of culture in the region, as a driver for economic success, placemaking, community cohesion and personal wellbeing’. Chaired by Professor Sue Rigby, Vice Chancellor of Bath Spa University and Vice Chair of the Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), the core membership includes all constituent authorities, the region’s Destination Management Organisation, and leads of local culture boards, supported by a range of creative sector working groups and advisory boards.  

The Cultural Compact set out to develop a strategic plan for culture that focuses funding and resource where it can have the greatest impact; to understand and support the region’s cultural ecosystem; to put culture at the heart of local and regional government, community and business groups; to attract funding for cultural activities in the region; to promote the value of culture and the value of investment in culture; and to link cultural ambitions with wider regional priorities.  

Launched in February 2022, the West of England Cultural Plan strikes a balance between a strategic and longer term focussed framework and an action-packed plan that is relevant to the present-day concerns of the sector, its stakeholders and partners. Sitting behind the strategy is a full implementation plan with short (1-2 years), medium (1-5 years) and long term (5-10 years) objectives. Most importantly, it is a living and breathing Plan, structured around four areas of focus and three cross-cutting themes: 

• cultural and creative skills 

• creative freelancers, start ups and small to medium-sized enterprises

• placemaking 

• wellbeing 

• environmental sustainability 

• digital technology and innovation 

• inclusion. 

The impact

Prioritising and inspiring action by listing high level initiatives early on was essential in liberating conversation and enabling alignment of aims and objectives among national agencies and partners. Initiatives are concerned with supporting cultural awareness and interest at schools, and pathways into creative careers; directing further support for the region’s incredible network of creative freelancers; measures to ensure culture is embedded in our strategic planning and place making; and providing strategic advice where culture can play a role in supporting health and well-being – particularly looking at overcoming barriers to engaging with culture. 

The West of England Cultural Compact is building on the strengths of the region and the investments committed to date, including over £3 million, supporting over 700 freelancers through:  

• Creative Freelancer Grants: to build resilience by helping freelancers develop their own creative product, practice or service, in response to Covid-19. 

• Creative Business Grants: to fund creative projects that support recovery and resilience, employ freelance creatives, engage local communities and advance diversity and inclusion. 

• Cultural and Creative Business Support Programme: designed to build resilience and support change in response to Covid-19, including help to reformulate operating and financial models and business plans. 

• Creative Scale Up: funded by the Combined Authority and DCMS, aiming to help creative businesses access finance through an intensive sustainable growth support programme. 

As well as over £10 million support for high street resilience and renewal for: 

• meanwhile use projects   

• community and digital hubs  

• public realm improvements 

• cultural and creative spaces ( e.g. new tree planting, street furniture, cycle storage and public art) 

• markets & events development (e.g. The Great Bath Feast) 

• grant support for high streets businesses 

• commissioned strategic review to inform next phase of investments.   

How is the new approach being sustained?

The West of England Cultural Plan was launched in February 2022 following months of evidence gathering, consultation and engagement, enabled by the strategic oversight of the West of England Cultural Compact. This regional strategic planning for culture has galvanised support across the political spectrum (Mayors and Leaders), business leaders (LEP), and the creative and cultural sector. To date, this activity has been supported by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport and Arts Council England.  

Amplification of the region’s strengths has been key to adopting a new approach to cultural development for the West of England. For example: Bristol is a UNESCO City of Film, and Bath is a double designated UNESCO world heritage site. The region is recognised as the UK’s third largest TV sector, with over 445 production companies including Oscar winning Aardman. Over 800 million people each month watch digital content produced in the West of England, and the significant creative tech cluster, including the fast growing gaming sector, continues to grow through partnerships and investment. The Bottle Yard Studios are located in South Bristol – an area of high deprivation. A recent £12 million redevelopment to add three new stages to the Studios’ portfolio has been instrumental in boosting the local economy. Bristol saw a 225 per cent increase in filming in the first quarter of the current financial year, and this investment is expected to create 135 jobs during the refurbishment with a further 863 jobs over the next 10 years. A Workforce Development Programme focused on high-end TV skills and targeting development of new talent in South Bristol, including apprenticeship opportunities, forms part of the overall strategy to support this thriving community.  

Over 78 per cent of residents engaged with the arts, museums, and/or public libraries at least once in past year. Further strengthening engagement is being enabled through joining up of local place making strategies with the Cultural Plan, and through partnership working not only across anchor institutions but grassroot organisations.  

Lessons learned

The West of England is home to world-renowned creative and cultural industries.  

The West of England Combined Authority has a clear strategic cultural plan and the partnerships in place to make a difference.  

Culture and placemaking have a key role to play in delivering the government’s Levelling Up agenda. The Combined Authorities and Metro Mayors can join up strategic activity across boundaries and deliver integrated support – business, skills, transport, housing and the environment.  

“Levelling Up” of places without established cultural infrastructure should not mean a “Levelling Down” of places that already have well established and thriving cultural sectors. 

The West of England Cultural Compact would like to see: 

• Devolved longer term funding to support the cultural sector to drive inclusive regeneration and economic growth. 

• Strengthened leadership role of Cultural Compacts including UK-wide networks of local authorities, artists and community organisations. 

"Those who know the West of England love it, its super creativity, and its can-do attitude to take action and achieve results. This Cultural Plan will ensure even more people fall under the West of England's spell to build upon our already outstanding national and global success”  - Dan Norris, Metro Mayor 

“The Cultural Compact is about helping people in the West enjoy better lives, better lived. It places culture and creativity front and centre of our jobs, skills, wellbeing and investment agenda. Our unique regional design makes us a trailblazer for national policy and an international beacon for this vital work.”  - Professor Sue Rigby, Chair, West of England Cultural Compact 

Contact

Stephen Bashford 

Director, Business and Skills, West of England Combined Authority 

[email protected] 

View the Cultural Compact - West of England Combined Authority (westofengland-ca.gov.uk)