Culture challenges
Culture means everything that brings people together – as audiences or participants – via arts, heritage and non-elite sport. Despite the challenges of Covid and cost of living, the cultural sector retains the potential to make a positive contribution to the lives of everyone who lives or works in the region. Philanthropy has a major part to play. There are many more people that would benefit from engaging in cultural activities, but less money from the state or people’s disposable incomes, and civil society organisations need extra funding to close the gap. It should be a basic right to have access to a range of different activities that nourish, fulfil and inspire. The benefits are personal and societal.
- National challenges: reduced or stand-still budgets for funders of arts, heritage and sports; reduced extra-curricular school provision; local authority budgets squeezed; reduced disposable incomes for leisure activities; impacts of pandemic on tourism.
- North East England challenges: London disproportionately favoured for investments; regional household incomes under particular pressure; access in rural areas.
