Economic challenges and cultural regeneration in four South East coastal towns

Actions

The partners in this research have placed a high value on sharing intelligence and taking concerted action across their local communities. They recognise the local, collective and mutual benefits of partnerships between agencies and simplifying decision-making and delivery processes. They are interested in continued sharing of knowledge and good practice as part of a south-east and national coastal towns’ network of leaders, with reliable local intelligence mechanisms and indicators for tracking impacts and opportunities.

In the context of the radical consequences of economic change on the public, not-for-profit and private sectors, the research indicates some important messages and recommendations for action for all those involved in the continued cultural and educational transformation of coastal towns. These may be summarised as follows.

• Local authorities, delivery agencies and partnerships should review their regeneration delivery plans and see how and where less expenditure-intensive approaches might be delivered by increased involvement of cultural and educational bodies, and by sharing resources and joint action.

• Cultural organisations should prepare for involvement in planning and direction of local delivery, identifying where and how they might contribute. Local delivery agencies should rethink ways of involving cultural and education bodies in planning and governance. Higher education institutions need to deliver effective ways of engaging with and supporting local cultural organisations and networks, and of delivering professional development and management support to small cultural businesses.

• Cultural and regeneration leadership are encouraged to work closely with private sector champions and networks to engage business skills in local governance arrangements for cultural and education projects. Cultural and education projects must be encouraged to participate in local business networks.

• National and regional cultural agencies should agree where, at board and senior management level, the ownership of this analysis and these responsibilities will sit in the new institutional arrangements. Leadership in the four coastal towns should work collaboratively in support of this, and the actions that should result.

The substantive recommendation to government is that coastal towns and their challenges and opportunities are a legitimate special interest group. These towns should continue to be regarded as places in need of focused attention. Investment in cultural and educational infrastructure and activity needs to be sustained because it demonstrably contributes to the broad regeneration process, delivering layers of value beyond the primary outputs of cultural and creative activity and teaching, training and research. Excellent practice, nationally and within these four towns, shows how asset-based social enterprise can deliver effective change. The government should continue to encourage these kinds of locally controlled, socially responsive and effective agencies. To enable this to happen, everyone involved must invest in strengthening local civic, cultural educational and private sector leadership.