Cakes and ale: the role of culture in the new municipalism

Abstract

The rise of ‘new municipalism’–imaginative and renascent projects of local organization and government–has been occasioned by resourceful efforts on the part of local states and civil societies, responding to the intensified pressures of austerity, the global pandemic and a crisis of public value. Yet, despite the expansion internationally of an array of municipal initiatives, there appears (as yet) no significant role for culture and the cultural industries, and certainly this is the case in the UK. This review article suggests some possible reasons why UK municipalism might lack something of a cultural contribution or presence, before outlining the potential benefits that could be gained through development of both a “pragmatic” and “managed”–as well as more “radical”–integration of arts and culture into new municipal projects.