Arts, culture, heritage, nature, and environment collaboration could add £2.7 billion to Northern economy

Arts, culture, heritage, nature and environment working together could provide an extra £2.7 billion to the Northern economy, according to assessment by the NP11 group of the region’s Local Enterprise Partnerships.

The NP11 group have worked with partners including Arts Council England, the Environment Agency Historic England and the National Lottery Heritage Fund, to develop a ‘Place Strategy for the North’. The report highlights how arts and sustainability initiatives can help drive growth in Engand’s Northern regions, meet net zero goals and regenerate town and city centres across the region.

The new Place Strategy for the North sets out the economic case for place and culture in the region, identifying £2.7 billion of additional economic output that can be realised by the arts, culture and heritage sector. Proposals outlined in the report include investing in nature recovery and green space, elevating the region’s creative sector, and reintroducing arts and creativity into the STEM emphasis on school curricula.

Dehenna Davison MP, Minister for Levelling Up, said:

“The publication of this report is a big moment for the north. As a born and bred Northerner myself, I know how important culture and heritage is to people right across this brilliant part of the country, and how proud we are that so much of our northern identity has shaped the rest of the country as a whole.

“And the government recognises this too, which is why culture and heritage are absolutely central to our mission in the landmark Levelling Up White Paper. Whilst much of levelling up is about spreading opportunity, it’s also about preserving the local identity of places right across the country. That’s why I’m delighted that partners across the north have come together to create a new strategy that truly unlocks the enormous strengths and opportunities in the region. I look forward to working closely with the NP11 group, as well as Arts Council England, the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Historic England and Environment Agency, so we can realise the visions in the Place Strategy for the North and unleash the talent we have here.”

Lord Inglewood DL, Chair of Cumbria LEP, and the report’s co-author said:

 “With the UK facing significant economic challenges, it’s vital that we continue to invest in local places, creating important local economic growth and ensuring people feel optimistic about the future of their communities.

“A strategy for the North sets out the case for place and culture in the North and the framework is now all about delivering on the mission, vision, strategic intent and propositions put forward in the Strategy. These are our plans for a green, creative and future-facing North which levers its diverse natural, historic and cultural capital to unlock economic prosperity and inclusive growth.”