Culture and Devolution

Devolution in the UK has created the national Scottish Parliament, Welsh Parliament or Senedd Cymru, and the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Devolution covers 60% of England. There are 12 areas with Mayoral Combined Authority devolution in England: Greater London, Greater Manchester, North East, West Midlands, Liverpool City Region, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, Tees Valley, West of England, York and North Yorkshire, and East Midlands. 

Culture is a devolved power in the nations, and in the regions through the Mayoral Combined Authorities. 4 national bodies, Arts Council England, Creative Scotland, Arts Council of Wales, and Arts Council of Northern Ireland, are responsible for culture funding in the UK.

Devolved powers vary across different areas:

• Greater London is different to other institutions in England with devolved powers. It has responsibility for key functions including transport, policing and economic development and consists of 2 political branches – the Mayoralty and the 25-member London Assembly. 
• Top-level Trailblazer devolution deals are in place for Greater Manchester and the West Midlands, with expanded responsibilities in a number of policy areas, including transport, skills, housing, and retrofitting.
• Level 4 deals are in place for the North East, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, Liverpool City Region and the West Midlands. They provide extra powers around skills, careers and transport functions as well as a role in local energy planning. They also offer flexible ‘consolidated pot’ funding in local growth and place, and housing and regeneration. 
• Level 3 deals are in place in West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, Tees Valley, West of England, York and North Yorkshire, and East Midlands. They offer expanded powers over transport, local roads, urban regeneration and 30-year investment funds that combined authorities can allocate flexibly to support economic growth.
• Level 2 deals can be concluded with county councils or combined authorities that are not led by a directly elected mayor. They offer control over the adult education budget, Local Enterprise Partnership functions, and the UK shared prosperity fund.
• Level 1 deals offer only a limited ‘strategic role in delivering services’. No level 1 deals have yet been concluded.