The importance of culture, leisure and sport in addressing issues such as social inclusion, health and crime is becoming increasingly apparent. Government Offices work with a range of regional and local partners to identify where links can be made with other government programmes at local level..
More information on the national picture
From fashion and design to publishing and computer games and including companies such as the award winning Aardman Animation, creators of ‘Wallace and Gromit’, the creative industries sector is also showing fast growth rates in the region.
From our outstanding natural heritage (including World Heritage Sites of Bath, the 'Jurassic Coast' of Dorset and East Devon, and Stonehenge), to the Glastonbury Festival, to Tate St Ives and the Eden Project, to the new National Sailing Academy at Weymouth and Portland, and the many local museums, galleries and festivals, our cultural landscape makes the South West an exciting and attractive region for visitors, and a great one in which to live, learn, work and play.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) is responsible for Government policy on:
- The arts
- Architecture and the historic environment
- Sport and recreation
- Museums
- Galleries
- Libraries and archives
- Film and broadcasting
- The creative industries
- Tourism and licensing
- The National Lottery and gambling
- Press freedom and regulation.
DCMS is represented in the Government Office for the South West by a small Culture and Tourism team, working with DCMS agencies and other organisations in the region with an interest in the development of culture, sport and tourism.
Our key roles include:
- Working closely with the Regional Cultural Consortium, Culture South West, on the development and implementation of the regional cultural strategy, brokering partnerships and championing key projects in the region
- Working with Culture South West, the South West Regional Development Agency, the Regional Assembly, local authorities and other organisations to ensure that culture is fully integrated into regional, sub-regional and local strategies (eg the Regional Economic Strategy, the Integrated Regional Strategy, Regional Spatial Strategy and the new Local Area Agreements)
- Ensuring that DCMS policy contributes to the cross-cutting work of the Government Office eg on regeneration, health, young people and the economy
- Providing intelligence on culture and tourism issues both within the Government Office and to DCMS.
