The Local Government Association (LGA) and partners offer a range of practical tools and resources to help councils design and deliver effective cultural strategies:
- LGA Cultural Strategy in a Box – A step-by-step guide for creating a cultural strategy, including templates, case studies and practical advice tailored for local authorities.
- LGA Cornerstones of Culture Report – Research and insights on the essential elements that public funded culture can deliver for communities, with principles that can underpin successful cultural strategies and their impact on communities.
- Cultural Strategies Think Kit – Developed by the University of Southampton and the LGA, this toolkit builds on the Cultural Strategies and Futures Report to support evidence-based planning and future-focused approaches. It contains practical advice and prompts on developing an accessible, sustainable, and impactful strategy.
- Cultural Strategies Network (LinkedIn Group) – A space for council officers to share experiences, access drop-in sessions, and discuss strategy development, implementation and evaluation. This is hosted by the University of Southampton and the LGA.
- Joint Cultural Needs Assessment Guidelines – Produced by the LGA and Arts Council England, these guidelines help councils assess cultural needs and priorities in their area. It follows the same approach as the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment used by public health teams to improve public health and wellbeing and reduced health inequalities in communities.
- LG Inform Data Explorer – Data tools providing local and national insights to inform cultural planning and decision-making. It contains every cultural and sporting data set reported to Government, and allows exploration by council area, including with comparable councils by geography and demographics.
- Arts Council England Culture and Place Data Explorer – Additional data resources to support cultural strategy development.
You can find more resources – including on the visitor economy, creative industries, and sport and leisure - in the LGA’s publications and parliamentary briefings pages. Our case study bank also contains a wealth of examples of how councils are supporting communities through culture, tourism and sport services.
We also offer free leadership programmes for councillors and officers funded by Arts Council England and Sport England. You can find out more details and sign up on our improvement page.
