Surveying the creative, cultural and heritage ecosystem in the West Midlands

Research Paper

Author

Dr Jonathan Vickery (University of Warwick)

Editor

Trevor MacFarlane

Description

This regional research paper provides a detailed account of the West Midlands’ creative and cultural landscape within the context of devolution. Combining historical analysis, policy mapping and stakeholder interviews, it identifies both the region’s pioneering achievements and its persistent structural challenges. The paper shows how overlapping governance structures, fragmented investment, and the legacy of austerity have produced uneven opportunities across the region. Yet it also highlights growing leadership from the West Midlands Combined Authority, local councils and anchor cultural institutions in fostering cross-sector collaboration. The paper calls for a coherent, region-wide cultural strategy that leverages the area’s diversity, builds institutional partnerships, and embeds culture within regional growth and wellbeing agendas. It concludes that the West Midlands has the assets and ambition to model a new approach to cultural governance for a devolved England—if resourced and coordinated effectively.

Published as part of The Future of Cultural Devolution in the UK.

July 2024