And why you should reach out to your local MP
This month’s General Election has created a seismic change in the country’s political landscape. Having won 412 seats in Parliament against the Conservative’s 121, Labour now has majority, and with the pro-arts parties Liberal Democrats securing 72 seats and the Greens’ record 4, the Creative Industries have momentum and opportunity. Labour has made a pledge to prioritising the arts by launching its own Creative Industries Action Plan in March this year, which prompted a meeting between OutdoorArtsUK and Labour in May. The new Government is already working towards announcing the Spending Review this autumn to determine the national budget including the arts, and OutdoorArtsUK will continue to advocate for our sector in the lead up to this alongside Arts Council England (ACE) and the Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS).
To kick start this process, I have done a short piece on OutdoorArtsUK’s website, which began circulating through our Public Newsletter earlier in the month. You can read it back through this link here. The same information has gone to ACE and DCMS.
Having caught up with Director of Policy and Director of Diversity at ACE last week, I sensed renewed energy, hope and ambition within the organisation. I am also optimistic that the paused Government review of ACE will not have Dame Mary Archer at its helm, making it less politically motivated. After all, the new Secretary of DCMS Lisa Nandy has already given a speech to her Civil Service colleagues stating that the era of culture wars is now over and has promised to champion diversity. Click here to read the article. The new Minister for DCMS Chris Bryant has also gone on record to call for every child and young person to have proper creative education. You can find out more about the two key politicians for the arts through the links below.
Lisa Nandy also gave an interview to Manchester Evening News last week, warning that attracting philanthropy can create more regional inequality. She has recognised that some areas have bigger concentration of wealth than others, and that promoting private donations willy-nilly is not particularly useful for the sector. In our lobbying piece, OAUK has already called on Labour, the Arts Council, and DCMS to think carefully about the new ways of resourcing the arts. So, Nandy’s awareness is already promising. Click here to read the Manchester Evening News article.
Nandy has been Shadow Secretaries of various departments including International Development and Levelling-Up, and she is a member of Unite Union and was an advocate for remaining in the EU and international trade. OAUK hopes that a lot of what Outdoor Arts and the wider Creative Industries need will chime with her past experiences, and we plan to promote Fresh Street coming to Great Yarmouth, as a marker for better international working. Click here to read more about Fresh Street.
How OAUK members can help
With such a sea-change of political landscape, many of us are likely to have a new Member of Parliament where we live or work. Now is therefore ripe time to introduce ourselves and our work to our local MPs. You can tell them why the arts are so important for thriving communities and introduce how Outdoor Arts is the best vehicle for bringing all the good things about the arts to the local community. In the letter to your MP, you are more than welcome to pick and choose information from OAUK’s asks to the Labour Government (or copy and paste or signpost to it). I have included a few more advocacy examples for your information below.
OAUK have taken the approach that we are strategically well-placed to deliver on Labour’s Creative Industries Action Plan – all we need is for the Government to set the right conditions for us. We thought it might be better to show how we can help rather than just asking for additional funding.
Making sure more MPs know about Outdoor Arts will help OAUK advocate for the sector. Each MP will play a role in setting the national budget in the autumn, so every little helps. To find your local MP, use this link here. And here is a resource on how to engage your MP.
Evidencing the impact of your work will make your communication to politicians and stakeholders stronger. Here’s my previous blog about evidencing to show you how you can do it. It’s never too late to start doing evidencing well! And please do keep on sending us your evaluation reports and good news stories. Hearing from you will enrich our advocacy for the sector!
Anyone working in Wigan or Rhondda and Ogmore?
You are particularly well placed to have the ears of our new Secretary and Minister for DCMS! If you are working in either of these places, please do get in touch with me for a chat!
– Sho Shibata, OAUK Director
