Weeknotes 30

Hello everyone. It's been a packed week as the new government swings into action, and stakeholders start thinking about how they can best support, lobby, and engage with them.

Highlights

1. I joined Jack Gamble and others at the launch of the Campaign for the Arts and University of Warwick's excellent State of the Arts report in Parliament; also attended by Sir Chris Bryant MP as the new Minister for the Arts. The report reveals that the UK has one of the lowest levels of government spending on arts and culture among European countries, having slashed its total culture budget by 6% since 2010. It also highlights the significant impact that council funding reductions are having on arts and cultural organisations, as well as the direct cultural services that councils provide. This echoes LGA findings and concerns, and we're grateful for their support in bringing it to wider attention.
2. I have completed, with the support of many partners, my team's contribution to the LGA's Spending Review sumission, including the key messages from the new Active Wellbeing thinkpiece. There is obviously a lot to reflect in the final LGA submission, given the significant challenges and opportunities around every council service area, and I'm not sure how much of our contribution will make it in. However, it has been enormously helpful to look at our work and top priorities through the lens of the new Missions. We'll be further refining our team's understanding of how culture, tourism and sport services can contribute to these next week; and where the opportunities are to support councils' work in this space.

Positive progress

• We now have a full ministerial line up at DCMS, and we've written to all of them to congratulate them on their new role and highlight how they can most effectively work with councils to improve communities and grow the economy. Cllr Louise Gittins, Chair of the LGA, is meeting with all Secretaries of State and we've already had positive feedback on how culture and leisure are being seen by some other departments, including the new Minister for Public Health and Prevention.
• I joined several museum meetings this week, looking at the immediate needs of the sector, as well as how museums can engage with the new Government. Civic museums feel like the next part of my portfolio that is under major pressure, following on from our successful lobbying to get more funding for leisure centres. We now need to develop a clear business case for support for museums, liked the the Government's priorities in the missions. I look forward to working with partners to do so.
• I met with Amy Heaton-Finch and Gateano Iannetta to discuss Spirit of 2012's Creating a golden thread for major events report and proposal for a data observatory on major events. Spirit of 2012 has provided very significant insights into the impact of major events, and learning on how to make them even better, so I'm keen to see that work continue.

Things you might like to know

• I met with Louis Coffait-Gunn, the new CEX of CILIP, to discuss our role in support of libraries and the various library groups that we both sit on.
• Samantha Ramanah met with Harriett Jones to talk about our next joint roundtable with ukactive members, looking at better collaboration between the public and private sectors.
• I caught up with Val Birchall to discuss the next National Alliance for Cultural Services agenda, which will include a look at museums, given the pressures mentioned above.
• Samantha Ramanah and I also met with Adam Conant, DCMS head of sport, to discuss local approaches and a focus on inequalities. Our report on our call for evidence into how councils are supporting women and girls to be active will be published next month; and we'll then start looking at young people and disabilities.

Enjoy the weekend. It looks like good weather for much of the country!