Written by Lead Facilitator LaToyah McAllister-Jones

After launching the report from the Citizens for Culture Assembly on the 15th January, Citizens for Culture launched the next phase of the project, which is being delivered through a series of Citizens for Culture Roadshows. 

We’ve now delivered 5 roadshows across the region, including in Thornbury, a regional meeting of the Cultural Compact National Trust and with Arts Council England, South West. It has been a really interesting experience to facilitate these sessions, each of which has been vastly different in terms of size, focus and understanding of the assembly process.

What are the roadshows?

The roadshows have been designed to encourage networks of cultural practitioners and organisations to come together to focus on how we deliver on the Cultural Plan, together. The format focuses on 3 main areas:

1. Citizen voice
   This is where people lean in. The roadshows centre the voices of the citizens from the Assembly; what it actually felt like to be in the room, to co-create a cultural plan with strangers, and what they hope happens next.
2. Leaning in
   This is where it gets real. We start to surface the tensions and possibilities of working in a citizen-led way. For a sector used to knowing the destination before we begin, this is counterintuitive. We’re used to fixed outcomes, pre-set plans, consultation on our terms. This asks something different of us. The roadshows create space to sit with that discomfort and turn it into opportunity.
3. The priorities
   This is about action. First, we map what’s already happening across the region; what we can share, what we can grow, and what we need to build to respond to the 13 priorities. Then we ask networks to step forward; which priorities matter most to you, and what are you willing to commit to, together?

Everywhere we go, people have been open, generous, and up for the conversation. There’s a real keenness to learn not just to listen, but to shape what comes next. And there is energy for this way of working.

But as the roadshows unfold, something is becoming clearer.

The story isn’t the same across the region but there is an emerging pattern.

In places like Thornbury, there is strong community-led activity and a clear sense of identity. People care deeply, and there’s pride in what already exists. But change is happening fast. New communities are arriving, and the infrastructure isn’t always keeping up. The challenge here isn’t a lack of culture. It’s how culture stretches to include everyone.

In organisations like the National Trust, the picture shifts. The assets are there, spaces, reach, resource, intent. There is a genuine desire to work in more inclusive, citizen-led ways. But the question becomes one of power. How far does participation really go? Who gets to shape decisions? And what does it take to shift organisational culture, not just improve engagement?

And then, at a regional level, another layer appears. There is collaboration. There are networks. There is ambition. But it’s not always clear how it all connects. For someone trying to engage, it can be hard to see where to go, how to take part, or how decisions are made. The system exists but it isn’t always visible or easy to navigate.

So as I reflect a picture is starting to come together;

• In some places, activity exists but needs to connect and reach further
• In institutions, assets exist but power hasn’t fully shifted
• At a system level, ambition exists but structure hasn’t caught up
• There is no shortage of energy but infrastructure is not equtiable
• Inclusion is intended but intention and outreach are not the same thing
• The system is active but not always legible from the outside

What we are being asked to do across all of this is not small.

To connect what already exists.
To build what’s missing.
And to share power in a way that feels real.

That last part matters.

Because from a citizens’ perspective, this isn’t about being invited in once decisions are made. It’s about shaping what culture looks like in the first place. And from a sector perspective, that requires a shift in how we work — how we listen, how we decide, and what we’re willing to let go of.

We know this is counterintuitive. It asks us to slow down, to open up, to work differently with each other.

So the question now is:

How do we lean in?

Not just individually, but collectively,  across places, organisations and the wider system.

Because culture is happening all around us, all the time.

The work now is making it work for everyone.

Since the launch of the Citizens’ Cultural Plan, Roadshow conversations have been taking place across the West of England.

By the end of June, citizens from the Assembly will have taken part in 25 Roadshow conversations across the region.

At each Roadshow, we’re using a simple framework called Share – Grow – Build.

It asks three questions:

• What’s already happening that could be shared?

• What has real potential and could grow?

• What doesn’t yet exist, but needs to be built together?

 

Roadshow by Roadshow, these conversations are helping us build a live picture of how the region could respond to the Citizens’ Cultural Plan.

In other words, where energy already exists, where partnerships are emerging, and where citizens may want to focus future attention, investment or challenge.

This month, we’ll be testing the first version of this emerging matrix with artists, organisations and partners at the Culture West Summit, hosted by the Mayoral Combined Authority.

Our aim is to make sure this becomes a practical tool for the next phase of Citizens for Culture which is about turning the Citizens’ Cultural Plan into action.

 

Looking ahead: National Portfolio applicants workshop

As organisations across the region begin thinking about the next Arts Council England National Portfolio round, we wanted to share an opportunity coming up this summer.

On Wednesday 1 July (9:30–11:30am), Citizens for Culture will host an online open session for organisations, freelancers and partnerships who are planning to apply to become NPOs from 2028.

The workshop will be about how the Citizens’ Cultural Plan and the emerging Share – Grow – Build framework might help connect the future plans of NPO applicants with what communities across the West of England are saying matters most.

This is not a workshop about how to apply. Instead, it’s a chance to explore what citizens across the region have said they want culture to become.

We’ve discussed this with Arts Council England, who are keen to see the Citizens’ Cultural Plan inform future planning and delivery across the region.

Please save the date, and we’ll share the full invitation later this month.

Thank you to everyone who has taken part so far and to those continuing to shape what happens next.

 

Last Autumn, 51 people from across the West of England came together through Citizens for Culture to answer a simple question: What would culture and creativity look like if they were for everyone?

Today, we’re sharing a new set of resources to help more people explore what happened — and what comes next. Alongside the full Citizens for Culture Report, we’ve published a new summary report and a set of dedicated web pages that bring together the key outcomes of the Assembly: the Citizens’ Cultural Plan, 13 regional priorities and actions, and place-based aspirations for each part of the region.

A way to dip in

The new summary report is designed as a way to dip into the Assembly. It offers key facts, figures and reflections from the process, while pointing to the full report for those who want to explore in more depth. It captures some of the scale and ambition of the work:

• 51 citizens selected through a civic lottery after 15,100 invitations
• over 50 hours of deliberation and more than 1,500 hours of collective discussion
• a group that included many people who had never taken part in civic decision-making before

But beyond the numbers, it offers insight into how people from very different backgrounds came together to learn, reflect and agree a shared vision for culture across the region.

What citizens created

At the heart of the Assembly is the Citizens’ Cultural Plan — shaped by citizens and grounded in both local experience and regional thinking.

This includes:

• 13 regional priorities, each supported by short-, medium- and long-term actions
• place-based aspirations for Bath & North East Somerset, Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire
• a set of cross-cutting themes highlighting the challenges and opportunities facing culture across the region

Together, these form a clear starting point for how culture and creativity can play a stronger role in people’s lives — from wellbeing and education to local economies and community connection.

A shared picture of the region

One of the most striking aspects of the Assembly was how consistent some of the themes were across different places and perspectives.

Citizens highlighted:

• the importance of equitable access and inclusion
• the need for greater transparency in funding and decision-making
• the pressures on organisations around capacity and staffing
• the role of culture as a social and economic force
• and the need for stronger coordination and leadership across the region

These ideas are grounded in people’s lived experience.

What happens next

By publishing these resources, we hope to continue widening ownership of the Citizens’ Cultural Plan.

Over the coming months, Citizens for Culture is working with organisations, freelancers, networks and public bodies across the region through a series of roadshows and conversations. Together, we are exploring:

• what is already happening that aligns with the Plan
• where activity could be strengthened or better connected
• and where new approaches or partnerships may be needed

Citizens will remain involved through the Citizens for Culture Panel, helping to ensure that the work stays visible, accountable and grounded in the priorities set out through the Assembly.

Explore the work

Whether you’re a cultural organisation, a public body, a freelancer, or simply someone interested in culture in the West of England, these new resources are a way to explore the work — and to see how it connects to what you do.

You can:

• read the summary report
• explore the 13 regional priorities and actions
• discover the place-based aspirations
• or dive into the full Citizens for Culture Report

This is a shared plan — and its impact will depend on how it is taken forward across the region.

Visit https://citizensforculture.info/report for access to everything mentioned in this newsblog

As Town of Culture proposals take shape across the West of England, we’d love to connect.

Earlier this year, the Culture Secretary described Citizens for Culture as:

“A shining example of how we can put communities at the heart of cultural decisions that impact them.”

The Citizens’ Cultural Plan is now the regional plan for culture. It was shaped by 51 residents selected by civic lottery, working alongside cultural organisations, local authorities and partners across the region.

So here’s a simple thought.

If you’re developing a Town of Culture bid in the West of England, how might your proposal connect with, respond to, or build on the Citizens’ Cultural Plan?…in a way that makes sense for your town?

This is not about copying or duplicating programme ideas but it could just be about how you propose to develop your Town of Culture bid if you’re shortlisted. 

• How are local people involved?
• How are decisions shaped?
• How is trust built?
• How does your vision connect with a wider regional, citizen-led framework?

Being able to show alignment with a democratically shaped regional Cultural Plan, one already recognised by DCMS, could strengthen bids from across our region.

It certainly signals that proposals are rooted in community voice and public legitimacy, not just top-down thinking.

How we can help

Citizens for Culture is currently running a regional Roadshow from March–May bringing citizens and cultural actors together to explore how the Plan moves into action.

If helpful, we can:

• Host a short roadshow-style session in your area, where Town of Culture teams can meet an Assembly member and explore relevant priorities.
• Offer a short online introduction to Citizens for Culture for bid writers and partners.
• Share simple ways to map your proposal against the Citizens’ Cultural Plan.

If you’re working on a Town of Culture proposal and would like to explore this further, get in touch.

Email David, Citizens for Culture Project Manager: david@citizensinpower.com 

By LaToyah McAllister-Jones-Citizens for Culture / Co-Lead Facilitator

A month has passed since we launched the Citizens for Culture report the story of the UK’s first Citizens’ Assembly for Culture in the West of England.

The response has been overwhelmingly positive. People are excited. Curious. Energised. The sector is leaning in.

And that matters.

But if I’m honest, the real story isn’t the report.
It’s what the process is asking of us and whether we’re truly ready to respond.

Because citizen-led work doesn’t just produce plans.
It exposes power.

And it raises a difficult question for our sector:

Do we really want to share decision-making or do we just want better engagement?

Let’s talk about pace and control

Citizen-led processes are slow.

They take time to listen properly. Time to deliberate. Time to sit with divergence. Time to build shared understanding. Understanding the trade-offs (there are always trade-offs).

They move at the speed of trust, not the speed of delivery targets, funding deadlines or institutional pressure.

Over the past four years, this work has unfolded through testing, learning and adaptation. Nothing was rushed. Nothing was fixed too early. Each stage shaped the next.

But here’s the tension: our ecosystems are not designed for this kind of work. They are designed to demand the full picture before the journey is even started.

They reward speed.
They reward certainty.
They reward control.

Citizen-led practice challenges all three.

If we genuinely want decisions shaped by lived experience, we must accept the time, complexity and uncertainty that comes with that. We cannot ask citizens for their voice and then contain it within existing structures that remain unchanged.

Deliberation is not delay.
It is democratic practice.

From consultation to redistribution

The cultural sector has become highly skilled at consultation.
Less skilled at redistributing power.

Too often, participation happens at the edges of decision-making rather than at its centre. Citizens are invited to contribute, but rarely to shape the terms.

What has been different here is the coalition that has formed around a shared direction across the West of England; local authorities, cultural organisations, funders and community partners choosing to move together.

But coalition is only the beginning.

The real question is whether institutions are prepared to let citizen priorities influence resource allocation, strategic direction and organisational behaviour. Whether we are prepared to change not just what we say, but what we do.

That is where citizen-led work becomes structural rather than symbolic.

Sharing power means letting go

Citizen-led work asks something very different from institutions and leaders.

It asks us to listen before acting.
It asks us to question our assumptions.
It asks expertise to sit alongside lived experience, not above it.

This is not simply a new methodology. It is a shift in mindset.

And it requires letting go: of certainty, of control, of the comfort of familiar decision-making structures.

That can feel destabilising. It challenges professional identity. It disrupts long-established ways of working. It asks organisations to operate with more openness and less authority.

We need to be honest about that.

But if we want cultural policy that reflects the lives of the people it serves, this shift is not optional. It is necessary. My question is how can we lean into that discomfort?

Discomfort is not a barrier to change.
It is evidence of it.

This brings up the question, ‘how can we lean into that discomfort?’

Institutional partnership and institutional responsibility

Partnership with Arts Council England and the West of England Combined Authority has been crucial. Their involvement gives this work weight, legitimacy and regional reach.

But institutional support must also mean institutional change.

If citizen voice is to be central rather than symbolic, systems of funding, governance and decision-making must evolve to reflect it. Otherwise participation risks becoming performative.

The opportunity now is to embed this work, not just endorse it.

What this has taught me

On a personal level, this work has deepened my belief that people are ready to shape the systems that shape their lives.

What has often been missing is not capacity, but access.
Not interest, but invitation.
Not ideas, but influence.

Citizen assemblies create space for genuine dialogue. They reconnect policy with lived experience. They begin to rebuild trust between people and institutions.

At a time when trust is fragile, that matters profoundly.

What happens next is the real test

We now move into the Citizens for Culture roadshow across the region.

This phase is not about presenting a finished plan. It is about testing what shared responsibility actually looks like. It is about asking difficult questions together:

What are we prepared to change?
What are we prepared to share?
What are we prepared to give up?

The work will be incremental. It will be messy. It will require courage.

But it offers the possibility of something different; cultural policy shaped with citizens, grounded in lived experience, and shared across the region.

That is the opportunity.
It is also the challenge.

Come into the conversation

If you’re part of an organisation, network, community group or partnership across the West of England and want to explore what this could mean for your work, invite us in.

The roadshow is about meeting people where they are, listening, challenging, learning together and working out what delivery really looks like.

If this approach resonates with you, or even if it makes you uncomfortable, we want to hear from you.

Because sharing power only works when more of us are willing to try.

The shift has begun; now we do the work together.”

Read this news blog, to find out how to get involved in the roadshow or email David Jubb, Citizens for Culture Project Manager at david@citizensinpower.com