Nicky Chance-Thompson MBE DL FRSA, CEO of The Piece Hall, reflects on the responsibility charity leaders have to protect free cultural access and to speak clearly about its role in sustaining communities and opportunity.
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There is a familiar pattern whenever public finances come under pressure. Culture is often treated as the nice-to-have. The expendable bit. The thing that can be trimmed back because there are other priorities elsewhere.

I understand why those conversations happen. We are all operating in a climate where every pound is scrutinised. But I think we need to be honest about what gets lost when culture is seen as optional.

At The Piece Hall, we see every day what culture actually does. It brings people together. It creates pride in place. It gives young people ambition. It drives footfall for local businesses. It helps towns feel alive rather than left behind. That is not a luxury. That is social infrastructure.

The Piece Hall has always been a hub. Nearly 250 years ago, it was built as a centre of trade and exchange. Today, as a charity, we work incredibly hard to make sure it remains a place of connection, opportunity and community for everyone. We are free to enter and intend to keep it that way, because access to culture matters. In a world where so much feels out of reach for so many, it is important that people can still walk into a beautiful, historic, world-class place and feel it belongs to them.

There is a wider debate, of course, about the value of culture. I find that debate incredibly frustrating because those of us working in communities do not need a theoretical argument when we can point to real world examples of impact. The Piece Hall has contributed around £680 million over the last decade to the local economy, that’s an annual economic benefit of £426 for every resident of Calderdale. It draws in millions of visitors every year, including to watch some of the world’s most renowned artists perform, and every day I see families spending time together in the courtyard having fun and supporting our local businesses.

We also build the future. Young people have their eyes opened to new possibilities. Through The Piece Hall Academy, we are creating sustainable music career pathways for young people in the North, using the extraordinary global talent coming through our doors to inspire and educate the next generation. That matters hugely. For too long, there has been an assumption that serious creative opportunity sits elsewhere, usually in London. We are proving that music training, mentoring and ambition can thrive outside the capital. That’s important not just for culture, but for fairness. Talent is everywhere. Opportunity is not. Charities have a vital role to play in closing that gap.

And that is where I think this conversation matters for the wider sector too. Charity leaders are often expected to justify work in narrow terms, usually based on immediate demand or crisis response. But many of us are holding together the very fabric of community life. We are protecting places, pathways and possibilities that cannot simply be rebuilt once lost.

Our responsibility is clear, we must earn the trust of our community. We must be financially responsible, innovate and diversify our income. And in everything we do we must work hard, and believe me, we do. And we need to brave in telling our story and have the confidence to say that culture not only has value in and of itself, but enormous value in the way it strengthens communities and local economies.

If we keep treating culture as expendable, we will keep paying the price elsewhere. The better question is not whether we can afford to invest in culture. It is whether we can afford not to.

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