Labour’s cultural agenda is being shaped by a technocratic focus on the “creative industries,” prioritising scale, growth and industrial frameworks. This risks sidelining community arts and civic media that build cultural democracy at the local level. Drawing on experience at the 2025 Labour Conference in Liverpool, this critique argues that the missing middle of cultural practice—grassroots arts, local media, and participatory initiatives—must be supported. Devolution offers a chance to reset by empowering regions to foster identity, belonging and participation.
This week I’ve been spending time at the Labour Party Conference 2025 in Liverpool, joining sessions at the Creative UK Creative Economy Pavilion. The experience made one point clear: Labour’s discussion of culture is dominated by the language of “creative industries.” This is not just a semantic issue. It signals a technocratic approach that emphasises scale, management frameworks and industrial priorities, while overlooking the role of community arts and civic media in building cultural democracy.
A policy shaped by industrial priorities
The programme in Liverpool has been full of talk about industrial strategy, intellectual property, digital platforms and economic growth. These are significant concerns, but they take up so much space that other voices are squeezed out. Missing were conversations about how people take part in culture day-to-day, outside of the established institutions and large organisations that dominate the sector. This imbalance risks reducing culture to a set of economic outputs, rather than a lived process of participation and identity.
The neglected mezzo level
Between the household and the global stage sits a “missing middle.” Community arts groups, local theatres, radio projects, participatory festivals and civic media initiatives provide the connective layer where cultural democracy is experienced. This is where citizens develop creative confidence, learn to tell their stories and contribute to local identity. Yet policy design, with its emphasis on compliance and competitive funding, rarely accounts for this layer. Instead, it rewards scale and visibility, leaving smaller organisations struggling to sustain themselves.
Why civic arts and media matter
Civic and community practice is not peripheral. It is essential to sustaining pluralism and trust. When people are given the means to shape cultural life directly, the result is a stronger sense of belonging and resilience. These practices also feed into wider pipelines of talent, but they do so by starting with place, participation and shared meaning rather than procurement frameworks. Ignoring them narrows the possibilities for genuine renewal.
Devolution as an opening
The practical opportunity lies with devolution. Regional authorities can support civic creativity with flexible commissioning and long-term investment in local capacity. Collaborative hubs, shared production spaces and civic newsrooms can flourish when local decision-makers are free to prioritise participation over scale. This would help rebuild cultural democracy from the ground up, responsive to place and identity rather than to the demands of global markets.
A challenge for national policy
Lisa Nandy, as Secretary of State for DCMS, faces the task of rebalancing cultural policy. Growth in the creative industries is important, but it cannot be the only measure. National frameworks must challenge gatekeepers, open up opportunities at the mezzo level, and recognise community-based practice as infrastructure in its own right. Without this shift, cultural policy will remain centralised, captured by incumbent interests and disconnected from everyday experience.
The lesson from Liverpool is that Labour risks narrowing its cultural vision to a managerial, industrial model. To rebuild cultural democracy, policy must engage with the missing middle and make civic arts and media central. Devolution provides a chance to reset and widen the circle of participation. The question is whether Labour is willing to trust people and places to shape cultural life on their own terms.