MLA’s analysis of the possibilities offered by devolution and the conclusions it has drawn are highlighted in the report The opportunity of devolution for museums, libraries and archives. This is intended to provide a vital resource for local authorities considering future options for their cultural services.
There is evidence that devolving cultural services is an innovation that accelerates improvement – in meeting user need, in increasing and diversifying financial sustainability, and in driving organisational performance and efficiency.
We offer two key messages.
Firstly, devolution to a charitable trust, whilst a strong and well-evidenced model, is not the only way in which devolution for museums, libraries and archives can be planned and delivered. There are several models of devolution offering varying capacity for community engagement and empowerment; economic development; philanthropic, entrepreneurial or private investment initiatives; and partnership and collaborative working.
Secondly, with the right plan in place, there is no evidence to indicate that any service, however low performing, could not achieve real improvements with the changes in structure and culture that are key factors in devolution. Devolution offers a possibility for innovation that is open to all services.
There are risks. In considering a wide range of different devolution scenarios for cultural services, MLA has identified some of the key issues around risk management and mitigation as a starting point for analysis.
In utilising MLA’s analysis your teams will find:
- a tool for understanding the range of devolution models applicable to museums, libraries and archives
- an assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of each legal format
- examples of successful devolutions to charitable trusts, community enterprises and investment (private sector) partnerships
- guidance on considering financial sustainability within business planning, and
- an analysis of key areas of risk for each model and advice for risk mitigation and management.
In addition we provide practical guidance including:
- a feasibility framework for developing trust options for museum services
- a guide to the review process and legal transfer issues
- precedent legal documents to save replication costs from local authority to local authority, and
- a series of regional workshops to help cultural services teams examine the options for devolution.
MLA’s field teams can help assess devolution as an option for you
Our Field Teams can help to lead options appraisals around devolution with a presentation outlining the different models available to cultural services and discussions around the contexts in which different models might work.
Strategically, our Field Teams work with other ndpbs and local agencies and can help broker relationships and networks to help develop collaborative working with the third and private sector.
Going forward
There are many options for devolution, and in its analysis MLA has sought to explore as wide a range of scenarios as possible, in the knowledge that many will not be relevant to many local leaders, but that all offer some thought provoking opportunities for transforming the contribution of cultural services to local users and local life. Read it in the spirit of adventure. Times are changing and we all want museums, libraries and archives to help to shape and embody that change.
If devolution is an appropriate option for you – and we recognise that it is not the only option – it is a challenge that we can tackle and solve together, to shape a model that serves the public best.