What do we mean by local decision making?

Insight Paper

Author

Culture Commons

Description

This insight paper explores how devolution and increased local decision-making are unfolding across the four nations of the UK. Drawing on contributions from Dr Jack Newman (University of Bristol), Jane Richardson (Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales), Alanna Reid (Culture Commons) and Christine Osborne (Belfast City Council), the paper traces how political structures, funding mechanisms and civic cultures have evolved in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. It highlights both the opportunities and complexities of transferring power closer to communities and considers how culture can be repositioned within this constitutional and policy landscape. The paper concludes that culture must feature more prominently in devolution debates, and that future policy should build on existing governance mechanisms to create coherent, participatory and place-sensitive models of cultural decision-making across the UK.

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

March 2024