Arts investment is vote of confidence in culture’s essential role in nation’s recovery - Darren Henley

Leeds is one of the only English cities, outside of London, to have its own resident opera and ballet companies and that was why it was so important that Leeds Grand Theatre and Opera House received £1.5m to keep this cultural institution going through such a unique and difficult period.

Sheffield Theatres is a similar case. The £2.2m investment they have received will provide a vital lifeline to an institution famous for its stage productions and also for hosting major events like the World Snooker Championship at the iconic Crucible.

Hull has been enjoying an artistic and cultural renaissance since its time as UK City of Culture in 2017. So, the £1.6m for Hull New Theatre and Hull City Hall to help them through this tough year will ensure that the creative legacy continues here.

Yorkshire is brimming with creativity, and the county has a deep affinity with art and culture. Many of its most celebrated sons and daughters are artists – household names such as David Hockney, Mel B, AA Dhand and Dame Judi Dench, to name a few – and Yorkshire has had a huge impact on the cultural development of England.

No other county has produced so many poet laureates, with Marsden-born Simon Armitage currently in the post. Yorkshire is a cultural epicentre for the rest of the UK.

This £30m new investment is a recognition that Yorkshire truly is a hub of creativity, imagination and invention. And it hasn’t come about by accident. The cultural organisations that call the county home are key ingredients of Yorkshire’s status as a creative powerhouse.

Spread throughout the county’s villages, towns and cities, they are at the heart of their communities and local economies. These institutions not only work with artists, but also spread opportunities for people of all ages to take part in making their own creative work, learning new skills along the way.

Artists and cultural organisations are brilliant partners too, collaborating with local authorities, charities, schools, universities, and businesses to help make people’s lives better by culturally enriching the places they live.

Adaptability is an essential component of creativity, and we have seen it in abundance throughout Yorkshire’s cultural sector during the Covid-19 crisis.

Leeds Museums asked people across the city to create “museum windows” at home, encouraging members of the public to display some of their most treasured items for their local communities.

Bradford Producing Hub has continued to run online and outdoor workshops supporting the sector to adapt during these everchanging times. Opera North has taken innovation one step further, touring their productions to arts venue carparks across the North - showing how Yorkshire is leading the way in pioneering culture that is also welcoming to everyone.

However, even with new approaches, the cultural sector in Yorkshire is facing significant challenges. Social distancing has made the usual way of operating impossible, and most organisations are now facing the prospect of significantly reduced income for the foreseeable future.

The Government’s £1.57bn Culture Recovery Fund is a hugely welcome intervention here. Driven by the Chancellor and Richmond MP Rishi Sunak and the Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden, this funding is the biggest single investment in culture in our country’s history. The arguments for why this is a sound investment by the Government are clear to see: in 2018, the cultural sector added £630m to the Yorkshire economy.

Cultural organisations employ more than 10,000 people in Yorkshire, in high-quality productive jobs, with a focus on creativity that makes them less vulnerable to automation than those in other sectors. And then there’s the cultural sector’s role as a pipeline for talent, skills and ideas into the wider creative industries, one of the fastest growing sectors of the economy.

Culture is also helping to strengthen communities across Yorkshire and is playing a key role in the regeneration of the county’s high streets. By providing new creative experiences, culture is helping to draw local people and tourists back to town and city centres, bringing life into areas that have suffered from decline in footfall. footfall. Culture gives town centres a renewed vibrancy, giving people positive reasons to return beyond just shopping.

The Culture Recovery Fund represents an unequivocal vote of confidence in all of these positive effects that culture is generating across Yorkshire.

At Arts Council England, we’re working to get this funding to the organisations that need it as quickly as possible. We will continue to work with artists 
and cultural organisations to reward the faith shown in them, by helping them to support their communities and bring hope to people across Yorkshire through the challenging times ahead.

As difficult as life is right now, we know that our villages, towns and cities will emerge from this crisis. And culture will be an essential part of that recovery.

Dr Darren Henley OBE is chief executive of Arts Council England.

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