Swindon listed as one of Arts Council England's priority places for commitment

Arts Council England have identified 11 places in the South West that are deemed a priority for more cultural experiences.

Arts Council England has announced 11 priority places across the South West as part of its three-year Delivery Plan to bring more cultural experiences to communities that have been underserved in the past.

Published today, Arts Council England’s Delivery Plan for 2021-24 sets out a detailed roadmap to implement the vision of its strategy, Let's Create. It states 'by 2030 England will be a country in which the creativity of each individual is valued and given the chance to flourish, and where everyone has access to a remarkable range of high-quality cultural experiences.'

The vision set out in Let's Create offers a pathway to supporting communities in their recovery from the pandemic.

To help make this a reality, the Delivery Plan names 54 priority places across England - 11 of which are in the South West Area - where Arts Council England will focus its development time over the next three years.

Darren Henley, Chief Executive Officer, Arts Council England, said: 

“Artists, arts organisations, museums and libraries have found creative new ways to serve their audiences and communities since the start of the pandemic. Our new Delivery Plan shows how we’ll work with them to build on that spirit of imagination and innovation as our society reopens.

"It’s particularly exciting to be focusing on our 54 priority places over the coming years as part of the Arts Council’s commitment to play its part in delivering on the government’s programme of levelling up. We’re looking forward to nurturing dynamic new partnerships with local people and organisations in each of these locations.”

The Arts Council says it will work closely with stakeholders in these locations to develop new opportunities for increased investment in culture, both from the Arts Council and other partners.

The priority places in the South West are:

• Gloucester
• Gosport
• Isles of Scilly
• Isle of Wight
• New Forest
• North Devon
• North Somerset (with a focus on Weston-super-Mare)
• Portsmouth
• Rushmoor
• South Somerset (with a focus on Yeovil)
• Swindon

Arts Council England says the 11 Local Authority areas were determined through an independent assessment process in which the Arts Council considered need through a number of data sources, including the British Red Cross covid-19 vulnerability index and the 2019 English Index of Multiple Deprivation, as well as taking into account previous investment levels, engagement with culture, and an understanding of local ambition and capacity. 

In the last decade, the Arts Council says it has significantly shifted its investment outside of London. The aim in Let’s Create is to increase focus on specific places underserved in the past.

Priority places are just one of the ways in which the Arts Council is committed to levelling up and deepening its place-based approach by strengthening cultural and creative opportunities in a targeted way. Investment will increase in a range of other locations through Arts Council funding programmes such as Creative People & Places, the new Place Partnership fund, National Lottery Project Grants, Developing Your Creative Practice, and other Government funding streams that Arts Council supports such as: UK City of Culture, the Stronger Towns Fund, and Festival UK* 2022.

The publication of the Delivery Plan follows the Government’s unprecedented £1.96 billion Culture Recovery Fund, administered by the Arts Council and other bodies.

Driven by the Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden, with the backing of Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Chancellor Rishi Sunak, the Culture Recovery Fund is the biggest one-off investment in culture from the Government in history. It is said to have provided a lifeline for the cultural sector, and helped organisations prepare for reopening.

Phil Gibby, Area Director, Arts Council England, South West, said:

“Arts Council England is pleased to share our approach to place-based working, and as part of this, we are delighted to confirm the 11 south west places that we will prioritise from 2021 to 2024.

“In deciding on these priority places, we considered both the needs of local audiences, and the strength of our partnerships with Local Authorities, Local Cultural Education Partnerships, and Higher Education Institutes. We look forward to collaborating closely with our partners in the 11 priority places over the next three years, beginning with a series of foundation meetings this autumn, in which we will come together in each place to agree on a set of jointly held cultural ambitions.

“By joining forces in this way, we hope to ensure that more people in our region have the opportunity to take part in creativity in the places where they live and work, and to experience for themselves the power of culture to bring people together, support local economies, and make lives better.”