A New Phase of Devolution

The arrival of a new Prime Minister with a clear commitment to accelerating devolution marks an important moment for the orchestral sector. Andy Burnham’s early signals suggest a renewed emphasis on empowering combined authorities, strengthening local partnerships and giving councils greater autonomy.

Importantly, culture has recently been included in Strategic Authorities’ statutory responsibilities. The Local Government Association’s new National Cultural Framework reinforces this shift, positioning culture alongside health, education, economic development and community wellbeing as a core component of thriving places. Our sector now finds itself aligned with the direction of national policy in ways that could reshape how cultural work is valued and funded for years to come.

Place‑Based Governance Taking Centre Stage

Across England, place‑based governance is becoming more central to how decisions are made. Regional mayoralties, combined authorities, integrated care systems and local partnership structures are reshaping the landscape in which cultural organisations operate. In many areas, local authorities are adopting more holistic, preventative approaches to community wellbeing, recognising that culture is not an add‑on but part of a wider ecosystem that supports healthy, connected and resilient communities.

Liverpool’s introduction of free night buses is a vivid example of how devolved leadership can transform local infrastructure. Since launching the N1 service, data from the University of Liverpool's research shows the route has recorded more than 57,500 passenger journeys, with 52% of riders using it to travel to or from work and 79% relying on it after nights out.

Crucially, 44% say they would not have made their journey without the bus, demonstrating that the service actively generates cultural participation rather than simply serving existing demand.

With an independently assessed social return on investment of 4.93:1, this means for every £1 invested in the night bus service, nearly £5 of social/community benefit is generated.

Liverpool’s decision to reinstate night buses shows exactly how culture both contributes to and benefits from a devolved approach to economic growth. It reflects the logic of the Local Government Association’s Framework: when local leaders see culture as a lever for footfall, safety and spending, they invest in the infrastructure that enables cultural activity and culture, in turn, drives the outcomes they care about.

Community Voice as Evidence

One of the most important developments in this emerging landscape is the growing recognition that community voice is a legitimate form of evidence. The orchestral sector has long understood the value of audience and participant feedback but hasn’t fully grasped how that can be integrated into place-focused artistic delivery. Through co‑creation, youth voice, participatory arts and community‑led programmes, orchestras have built trusted relationships over years that allow people to articulate what they need, value and aspire to.

In devolved systems, this kind of insight becomes even more valuable. Cultural organisations are perfectly placed to be the connectors and the bridge between local communities and regional decision makers, helping them to understand the lived experience of communities and to shape priorities that reflect real local conditions rather than top‑down assumptions.

The Rising Importance of Social Value

At the same time, all cultural organisations are being asked to demonstrate their social value with greater clarity and rigour. This is not simply about counting outputs but about articulating how cultural work contributes to local priorities: preventative health, community cohesion, skills development, economic participation and long‑term wellbeing. Our own work with the Social Value Engine shows how cultural organisations can provide credible, robust evidence that supports local decision‑making and strengthens the case for investment. The inevitable continued squeeze on central government funding will mean organisations that can clearly demonstrate their social value will be better positioned to access resources.

Creative Health Within Devolved Priorities

Health and social care is already moving towards a more local, relational and preventative system. Integrated Care Systems are increasingly open to cultural partnerships, recognising that creative engagement can support mental health, reduce isolation, build confidence and strengthen community resilience. Local authorities are exploring how culture can contribute to public health strategies, and community‑led creative programmes are being recognised as part of the infrastructure that helps places thrive. Orchestras already play a significant role in delivering interventions across a range of health and care settings in the UK and this work will become increasingly important. In many ways, creative health exemplifies the kind of cross‑sector, inclusive, community‑rooted work that devolved systems are designed to support.

The Orchestras in Healthcare 2024 report, which we co-wrote, showed:

Are We Ready for the Moment?

The orchestral sector is entering a moment where our strengths - partnership working, community engagement, co‑design, social value, creative health - align directly with the direction of national policy.

There are real risks. Devolution can widen inequalities between regions with strong leadership and those facing acute financial pressure. The devolution landscape is patchy in its maturity: established mayoralties like Greater Manchester are years ahead of new Strategic Authorities still working out their priorities.

Long-standing inequalities of investment between regions also exist between the thriving cultural, urban centres and their rural/coastal neighbours, where local cultural capital has lacked the political attention or infrastructure to unlock it.

Cultural provision may become increasingly dependent on local political will, capacity and stability, rather than national direction. The challenge ahead is in making a robust, unified and evidential case that we are essential partners in delivering healthier, more connected communities.

What is clear is that the sector is ready for this moment, but readiness alone isn’t enough. For years, orchestras and cultural organisations have been doing the work that devolution now demands: listening to communities, building long‑term partnerships, demonstrating impact and contributing to place‑based priorities. But if cultural provision is increasingly shaped by local political will, capacity and stability, then the response cannot be fragmented.

This is the moment for the sector to organise around a shared, national, evidence‑led argument that culture is as essential to thriving places as housing, transport and safe public spaces, and plays a key role in delivering those priorities. Statutory compliance only matters if it transforms power; devolved responsibility must be matched with credible strategies that shift outcomes for communities, not simply add new administrative duties to local civil servants. If culture is to be taken seriously in regional health, education, economic development and community planning, arts organisations must actively step into those spaces. These sectors won’t seek us out — we have to find our way in.

The task ahead is for us all to speak with one voice to ensure orchestras are understood not as a luxury by regional decision makers, but as a public necessity woven into the future of every community in England.