Fund culture outside of London, inquiry says

The Government must invest more heavily in arts and culture in the regions to tackle inequality, an independent inquiry has said.

An 18-month research project by the UK2070 Commission, a partnership between University College London, the University of Sheffiled, University of Manchester and Lincoln Institute of Land and Policy, found lack of a long-term regional policy for the UK is limiting the effectiveness of policies to tackle inequality.

"Past policy, with few exceptions, has relied on short term, reactive, underfunded project bidding processes, with a perverse ‘policy’ environment which reinforces past areas of growth, rather than unlocking new areas with future potential."

Inequality will worsen if the historic concentration of spending in London and the South East is not addressed, the Commission says.