Issue - meetings

The Cabinet Member: Climate Action, Green Spaces, Heritage & Leisure presented the report of the Director: Communities, Customer and Commercial Services.

The report set out the feedback received from the Cultural Peer Review undertaken in November 2023 and gave a summary of the key findings and recommendations to support the vision for culture and cultural participation across the borough going forward.

During their visit the peer team met with officers for a range of Council services, Senior Management Team, Members and a diverse mix of external cultural sector partners, individuals and Town and Parish Councils.

Overall feedback was positive and highlighted the ‘energy and enthusiasm’ of external partners and the Council teams.  They recognised ‘the positive foundations on which to build’ and the range of partners the Council’s Culture Service worked with, together with the significant investment in culture and events.

An evaluation was undertaken of the current priorities, together with future ambitions, and it was identified which areas had the best impacts given the available resources and it identified some areas for development.  There was an opportunity to update the baseline data and that an audit of the existing cultural activity, venues and partners would enable a better understanding of participation levels and types of activity in order to identify gaps in provision

Key recommendations were set out in the report and a proposed action plan set out at Appendix A to the report.

Cabinet Members commented on the offer that the Council had with regard to events and high streets and culture could be seen as arts and theatre but covered every single aspect of the borough.  Culture made a difference and if there was additional funding, more could be done.  They highlighted the richness in the borough, the platform of opportunity and the appreciation of colourful and diverse carnivals.

The Deputy Leader of the Conservative Group welcomed the report and the benchmarking exercise.  There were strong reference to the Council’s strengths which were the free outdoor events which proved popular.  In  relation to the allocation of funds from the government, levelling up money had recently been received.

The Leader referred to the government cuts, but welcomed any additional funding that was received.  He confirmed that the funding was more complicated than at first glance.

RESOLVED – that

a)    the feedback and recommendations from the Local Government Association and Arts Council England Cultural Peer Review, as summarised in Section 4 to the report be noted; and

b)   the action plan developed in response to the Peer Review and its delivery and continued development, to provide a framework for monitoring and supporting the cultural sector for the borough be approved.