South Yorkshire Mayor joins call for more spending powers on culture and heritage

The Mayor of South Yorkshire and his West Yorkshire counterpart are making a joint call for calling for devolution of cultural spending to move it away from Whitehall controls.
By Julia Armstrong, local democracy reporter
Published 18th Jan 2023, 12:17 BST
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Following the recent launch of Labour’s Gordon Brown Commission on devolution, Yorkshire’s Metro Mayors are backing the call to stop pitting regions against each other on bidding for vital funding, instead giving regional leaders the powers and resources to invest in local assets.

South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard said: “Not only do our cultural and creative industries significantly contribute to our economic health, they also play a vital role in community cohesion and the health and well-being of people in our communities.

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“The devolution of powers and spending for arts, culture and heritage will allow us to bring power closer to our communities and to the people who know our region best; it will enable us to collaborate cross-border, rather than competing with one another.

The Mayor of West Yorkshire, Tracy Brabin, and South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard have made a joint call for devolution of culture spending powers away from WhitehallThe Mayor of West Yorkshire, Tracy Brabin, and South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard have made a joint call for devolution of culture spending powers away from Whitehall
The Mayor of West Yorkshire, Tracy Brabin, and South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard have made a joint call for devolution of culture spending powers away from Whitehall

“Better decisions can be made on investing in our cultural clusters and harnessing their potential to see our regional and national economy grow.

“Arts, culture and heritage is in Yorkshire’s DNA; we’re home to some of the most impressive and enviable assets which make towns and cities across our region a great place to live, to enjoy and to invest in.

‘Finest attractions’

“The Yorkshire Sculpture Park is a leading example of how creative organisations in our region use our natural landscapes to create some of our country’s finest attractions, and how our creative sector contributes greatly to the growth of other key areas including skills, training, and education.”

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Visitors to the Yorkshire Sculpture Park at West Bretton, near Wakefield - the metro mayors of South and West Yorkshire have called for devolution of culture spending powers away from WhitehallVisitors to the Yorkshire Sculpture Park at West Bretton, near Wakefield - the metro mayors of South and West Yorkshire have called for devolution of culture spending powers away from Whitehall
Visitors to the Yorkshire Sculpture Park at West Bretton, near Wakefield - the metro mayors of South and West Yorkshire have called for devolution of culture spending powers away from Whitehall

Mayor of West Yorkshire, Tracy Brabin, said: “We’re incredibly fortunate to have so many world-class creative and cultural hotspots in and around Yorkshire, as well as several year-long celebratory events taking place in the run up to Bradford’s year in the spotlight as the UK City of Culture 2025.

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“We want to harness these opportunities, driving growth and levelling up our regions to create an economic legacy that will directly benefit our communities for years to come.”

The mayors discussed their ambitions for further devolution and inter-regional collaboration at a recent visit to the sculpture park.

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Related topics:MayorSouth YorkshireWest YorkshireLabourArts