Arts Council England has released the findings of recent research on local culture provision.
One report is based on Ordnance Survey data and shows that 75% of venues used by Arts Council-funded organisations are located on high streets or within a 5-minute walk of one.
Specifically, in England, it found 39% of theatres used by NPOs, SSOs and MEHs are located on high streets, with 82% falling within the 5-minute walking radius and some 6.7 million people (12% of the population) living within a 15-minute walk of a funded theatre.
It is also revealed that cultural activities create local jobs, thereby supporting local economies, with many of the venues also offering additional amenities for the public such as bookshops or places to meet.
A second report, Arts and Place Shaping: Evidence Review, commissioned by the Arts Council, complements this, showing the role of culture in sustaining or revitalising high streets, promoting civic pride and social cohesion and contributing to local economies.
It also notes that empty retail properties are being repurposed for arts and cultural endeavour creating local employment and using existing vacant spaces.
Dr Darren Henley, chief executive of Arts Council England, said, “an investment in culture is an investment in our high streets. Theatres, music venues, museums and libraries are the beating hearts of their communities. They’re central to the social fabric and civic pride of towns across England. As well as events and performances for audiences of all ages, they provide a raft of local amenities from bars to bookshops, helping to bring our high streets alive, providing jobs and boosting the economy.”
In providing evidence of the value of cultural organisations to high streets and their immediate communities, these two reports make clear the role such arts and culture venues could have in revitalising local economies and communities following the COVID-19 pandemic.
The data report Arts Council Funded Cultural Infrastructure and the Arts and Place Shaping: Evidence Review are available online.