This newly published toolkit enables the Department of Media, Culture and Sport (DMCS)and other users to build a more coherent evidence base on which to make policy for the Cultural Sector (including sport and tourism). The interactive web based toolkit does not impose a 'one size fits all' model for the development and use of statistics, rather, the aim is to: - establish a 'blueprint' for the analysis of Cultural Sector by outlining a standard conceptual and technical definition - provide a reference point on how to use key data sources for a range of purposes - outline some best practice measures for researching the Cultural Sector The toolkit has grown out of a comprehensive consultation process engaging representatives from a range of bodies such as Regional Cultural Consortia, non-departmental public bodies, the Office for National Statistics and Regional Development Agencies. It has found strong backing amongst these groups. The toolkit represents a first step in developing better data and statistics for the cultural sectors and will form a solid foundation on which to build. DCMS welcomes comments which can be fed into this process via: [email protected] To access the toolkit online, CLICK HERE.

www.culture.gov.uk