Regional enquiry into the future of investment in the West Midlands
Produced in collaboration with Culture Central, investigating the regional funding and investment landscape for cultural organisations in the West Midlands, this report demonstrates a long period of under-investment in culture, a lack of long-term stability in investment that results in a sector that is ill-equipped to capitalise or plan for growth and risks exposure to economic shocks including the pandemic and rapid inflation.
Organisations are experiencing growth, they are more open to collaboration and partnership than ever before, they are recognising the need to develop and attract new audiences, new experiences, but need support to be able to realise these strategies.
The findings presented in this report offer a picture of a West Midlands cultural sector suffering severe economic impact due to a long-standing period of standstill investment, underfunding that does not keep pace with inflation, and cuts to local authority budgets.
The impact on cultural organisations has been described by those within them as ‘tough’, ‘challenging’ and ‘an existential threat’, threatening jobs, undermining the upkeep of historic buildings and preventing even those organisations who have experienced growth in visitor numbers from doing anything more than stand still.