What Next? Ten policy principles for the future of the arts and heritage Sept 23
This paper has been drafted by Elizabeth Crump, Co-Director and UK Strategic Lead of What Next? and is based on consultation and conversation with the sector and with the What Next? Leadership Group.
Headlines
- The arts and culture are a part of the fabric of our national life, and therefore have a place in, and relationship to, the development and delivery of a wide-range of different policy areas: from education and skills to climate justice. They have economic and social value, and are important in their own right.
- This is a particularly difficult moment for both freelancers (which can make-up up to 70% of our workforce), and for organisations: with ongoing recovery from COVID-19, cost of living, energy costs, long-term underfunding (including significant reduction from local authorities over the last decade), and a crumbling infrastructure: all contributing to a very challenging landscape.
We are asking all parties:
- To commit to ensuring that the arts, culture and creative industries will have a meaningful place at the table when creating policy and strategy for education and skills, local government and place-making, soft power, international trade, technology, the future of work, and climate justice.
- That governments and political parties work in partnership with the sector, creating ways of governing based on listening and collaboration – particularly with those whose voices are not traditionally heard in this process.
To develop a policy agenda for the future that is built on the following principles: