The Case for Culture

The Northern Culture All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) is a group of northern MPs and Peers, from across all parties, who have come together to bang the drum for northern culture in Westminster.

This year, the APPG has been holding a major inquiry into what is needed, post-Covid, for culture in the North to recover. After submitting a written response to the inquiry, Curious Minds was delighted to also be asked to contribute to their evidence sessions, at which we were able to share our insight and speak up for young people and the cultural education sector.

As a result of its inquiry, the APPG has this week published a new report, called [The Case for Culture: What Northern Culture Needs to Rebuild, Rebalance and Recover]. It makes a strong case for support and investment in the North’s cultural sector in a post-Covid and post-Brexit world.

Initially, we were asked to contribute to thinking around access to culture and cultural skillsets.

As you’d expect, we had lots to say about about the importance of the role of the education sector in providing an (almost) universal point of contact, especially for those young people who might otherwise not have the chance to be inspired by arts and culture. We also had lots to say about the importance of locally nuanced delivery, and the huge contribution to the cultural education workforce that is made by grassroots organisations and freelancers. We talked about the talent pipeline; where it starts, where it leads, where the funded arts and culture sector plays an important role. We also talked about where that talent pipeline leaks and is blocked, and who tends to succeed and who doesn’t, and suggested things we might do to change that.

In the report, we’re really pleased to see loud and clear recognition that the creative sector in the North is home to exciting and viable career opportunities that our young people would do well to aspire to. We’re also delighted to see strong messages which reinforce that any opportunity to rebuild is also an opportunity to address age old inequalities in our sector, we do not want the next generation to inherit. We were relieved and glad to see freelancers and grassroots organisations recognised as absolutely essential, both needing and deserving support and further development if our cultural education ecology is to recover and thrive.

Our thanks go to those MP’s who have worked so hard on this. Thank you for listening, thank you for representing and all power to you when you take the report to Westminster! We have our fingers crossed it will bring back something positive for children and young people in the North.