Community empowerment and living heritage in 2026: Community-owned culture and heritage in Local Growth Plans
Think tank: City-REDI
Author(s): Liam Smyth
November 26, 2025
This report from UK think tank City-REDI examines community empowerment and living heritage in 2026.
Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, and the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill coming into action in the UK.
The paper provides an initial provocation as to whether 2026 could provide the strongest mandate yet for valuing community culture and heritage as a necessary precondition for local growth agendas in England.
The paper proposes that these seemingly unrelated policy frameworks have the power to shift governance and decision-making powers to give communities and individuals greater control over local cultural matters. This could present a turning point for a richer, more pluralist understanding of hyperlocal culture and heritage in England.
