Culture Central: 10 Years of Advocacy & Action
It is our 10th year of advocating and acting as a collective, and a collective voice for culture in the West Midlands. Here we highlight some of our work and impact in the region over the last ten years and lay out some of our advocacy plans in 2026/27.
Ten Years of Action:
Since 2016, Culture Central’s work has leveraged £4.8million for sector development in the West Midlands, which includes:
West Midlands Volunteers, a £500k programme to support more volunteering opportunities in the region, with a strong focus on access and capacity building.
Transforming Narratives, a co-funded programme with British Council and Arts Council England that connected and supported artists in Birmingham, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Working with Birmingham 2022 Festival and partners to deliver the homecoming and sector development programmes.
Since 2023, when we became an Arts Council England Investment Principles Support Organisation, we have delivered 230 events, programmes and opportunities, with over 5,000 engagements across all our programmes.
Ten Years of Advocacy:
In 2016, our founder members, faced with significant funding cuts and calls to collaborate, founded Culture Central with a core purpose to advocate for the sector and work together to find innovations in investment and collaboration. Taken from the original Birmingham Cultural Investment Enquiry, our founding purpose remains as, if not more, important for the sector and the region today:
There is now clear evidence that the sector is recognising that its future is highly dependent on new and innovative forms of collective action. This is not a return to the reductive narrative of joint services and simple cost efficiencies but a commitment to developing the financial base, creative output and community engagement it provides in radical new ways.
Birmingham Cultural Investment Enquiry, p.13 (2016)
In 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic catalysed this vision from the investment inquiry through the West Midlands Cultural Response Unit. We came together, delivered new programmes, shared knowledge and collective advocacy. Everyone was invited, and as ‘The Comeback’ said, we connected more, and we collaborated more.
Following the impact of COVID-19 and continued uncertainty for the sector, we worked to develop a collective, sector led, strategy for culture. The West Midlands led the way, as the first region in England to do this. Our first member summit, Collectively Strategising Culture, convened 125 sector leaders from across the region to determine the direction of travel and provide a remit for the work we do together, for the benefit of the people and places of the region.
10 years on, the need for Culture Central is still clear. Following Birmingham City Council’s Section 114 notice, reduction in arts funding, and continued decline in other local authorities’ investment in culture across the West Midlands, we commissioned the first Regional Growth Enquiry into cultural investment. This was launched at Parliament with representation from all our members, DCMS, Arts Council England, members of the House of Lords, local authority leaders and sector stakeholders.
We have since presented those findings at two Labour Party conferences with member representatives, alongside continued local advocacy with leaders and MPs. Most recently we led the West Midlands All-Party Parliamentary Group Inquiry into Culture, Place and Liveability, with over 30 West Midlands MPs attending the launch in London in March.
Acting today for Culture
We continue to operate in a climate of ongoing uncertainty and political change, after recent elections and with a new prime minister on the way. We know it is still vital for us to continue to make the case for culture and we’re here to support our members and act on their behalf.
Local authorities are still one of the biggest investors and supporters of culture so we have created an advocacy letter for our members to send to their local councillors. The letter is based on three core areas: economy, reputation and quality of life. With many new councillors in the region, this advocacy is more important than ever. To support our members with getting the message out directly in front of decision makers we’ve compiled a database of all councillors in the West Midlands. Members can download the letter and list of councillors in the Members' Area of the Culture Central website.
We will also be responding to DCMS, Arts Council England, and local government on the back of the Hodge review, new Arts Council England strategy, local government reorganisation, and the potential of further devolution across England. Finally, we are also scoping, along with members, how we navigate potential political conflicts for the cultural sector.
If you're a member of Culture Central, you can download the advocacy letter to send to local councillors and a contact list of all councillors in the West Midlands in our Members' Area here.
If you're not yet a member, you can find out more about joining here or request a call to discuss the benefits of membership with one of the team.