Meeting documents

1 THE ISSUE

1.1 The report introduces the Local Cultural Strategy (LCS) for Bath & North East Somerset which has been prepared during 2001 to 2002. This report sets out a further programme of work for officers to undertake during 2003.

2 RECOMMENDATIONS

That the Executive

2.1 approve the Local Cultural Strategy (LCS) for Bath & North East Somerset;

2.2 endorse the proposal to establish a Local Cultural Partnership;

2.3 recommend the LCS to Full Council for adoption, but with implementation restricted to those proposals that would not involve the commitment of additional resources. Implementation of other proposals would proceed only following full cost and business case analysis and approval by the Executive and then Council.

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3 FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

3.1 The preparation of the LCS has cost £32,500, funded from a combination of the Heritage Services 2000/01 `underspend' (over-achievement of income), existing revenue budgets and grant aid of £2,500 obtained from South West Arts.

3.2 It is been made clear from the outset that the Council could not and would not implement the LCS on its own. As with the Regional Cultural Strategy, launched at the Pump Room Bath by the Secretary of State for Culture Media & Sport in July 2001, the LCS is intended to be a framework within which the cultural needs and opportunities of the district can be identified and then partnerships sought or created to achieve them.

3.3 None of the actions proposed in the draft LCS has yet been costed in detail. Some would, of course, require feasibility studies to explore their viability and likely cost. However, initial outline estimates indicate that the likely additional ongoing costs of implementation of all the proposals contained in the Strategy, other than that for a 'Cultural Quarter', could be of the order of £1 million per annum to the organisations or consortia funding them.

3.4 Capital costs would also be heavily dependent upon the form that a 'Cultural Quarter' could take, and would be substantial. Costs associated with the other proposals contained within the strategy are likely to involve capital resources in excess of £1 million.

4 WHERE THE LOCAL CULTURAL STRATEGY FITS IN

4.1 It is important to understand that a LCS is a plan for the cultural development of a particular area. It is not the Council's plan for the development of its own cultural facilities, although these are likely to be involved. `Culture' in this context is defined as covering sport, leisure, the built heritage (including architecture), creativity, performance (theatre, music, dance, festivals etc), museums, libraries, art, entertainment, heritage, the 'public realm' including parks and open spaces, home entertainment and children's play. The LCS looks at all these elements in their own right but also in terms of their contribution to the cross-cutting agendas of inclusion, access, regeneration, community building, economic development, lifelong learning and sustainability.

4.2 Although the development of a LCS is not yet a statutory duty of local authorities, there is an expectation by Government that every authority will have one in place by the end of 2002. The existence of a LCS is now a Best Value Performance Indicator (BVPI). It will in future also be a significant factor in applying for external funding.

4.3 The LCS is purely a 'vision' which can be used by all parts of the Council to enhance the quality of their services and give them greater local meaning and distinctiveness. If adopted, it would become one of the planks of the Community Plan, informing and adding value to all aspects of the Council's own work and to those areas in which the Council works in partnership with, commissions or facilitates projects from, other bodies in the district.

4.4 Not all cultural activity costs money. In its widest sense, the culture of an organisation or a community is defined by the way it does things. The Challenges, Values and Themes set out in Section 5 below are all criteria against which aspects of the Council's own work can be measured and enhanced, adding value to the service - in short, making Bath and North East Somerset a better place to live, work and visit. The LCS is a corporate initiative with the potential for involving all services.

4.5 While the LCS is about the way we do things, both as a Council and as a community, it is also about what we do. Although prepared by the Council to fulfil Government expectations of the Council as a community leader, the LCS can only in reality be delivered through a range of partnerships and with the weight of a Strategic Cultural Partnership behind them. This is relevant across the full spectrum of activity from the smallest community initiative to the largest regeneration project.

5 BENEFITS OF A LOCAL CULTURAL STRATEGY

5.1 The benefits of developing a LCS can include :

5. KEY ELEMENTS OF THE LCS

5.1 The LCS supports the Council's over-riding objective of making Bath & North East Somerset a better place to live, work and visit.

5.2 Challenges: the LCS identifies a number of key challenges:

· Maintaining the quality of current services and ensuring quality in new activity;

· Ensuring that all areas of the district benefit from cultural activity;

· Maximising resources available for cultural activity;

· Retaining history / heritage and building a modern city and district;

· Building on local distinctiveness without rejecting the new;

· Ensuring access for all that wish to participate.

5.3 Values: the LCS is driven by ten core values:

· Culture as important in itself and as an instrument for social progress;

· Partnership - internally within the Council, between the Council and the people / organisations of the area; and between Bath & North East Somerset and the sub-region;

· Inclusion - for all activities so that everyone can participate, prioritising areas of discrimination based on race and disability;

· Added Value - undertaking work that is in addition to that provided by others and by integrating new activity in every initiative;

· Quality - building on and improving what we have already; insisting on quality in all new projects;

· Diversity - in celebrating all cultures and traditions;

· Fun - so that all participate with a sense of enjoyment;

· Educational - to promote learning;

· International - promoting exchanges, enhancing twinning, using extensively the status of the World Heritage Site;

· Promoting creativity - supporting new work by the dynamic creators in Bath & North East Somerset.

5.4 There are five themes to the LCS:

· Uniqueness - recognising and emphasising local distinctiveness and place;

· People taking part - promoting access, participation and enjoyment in cultural activities for all;

· Renaissance - culture and cultural activity integrated in economic development, regeneration and community planning;

· Environment - making best but sustainable use of green spaces, and building links between town and countryside;

· Broadening lives and minds - culture in health and lifelong learning.

6. STRUCTURES AND PARTNERSHIPS

6.1 Work on developing the LCS has co-incided with the work on the Culture & Leisure Time Best Value Review. A substantial overlap between both projects was identified at an early stage and it was agreed that the internal and external consultation work required by both should be combined.

6.2 The Best Value review also identified that it would be advantageous to bring much closer together the services involved in cultural activities. This has since happened with the creation of the Executive portfolio for Tourism, Leisure & Culture, and this portfolio holder will now meet with the officers responsible for Arts, Heritage, Leisure, Libraries and Parks on all matters to do with culture generally and implementation of the LCS in particular.

6.3 From the outset it has been recognised that a cultural strategy could and would not be delivered by the Council's on its own. Partnerships will be needed, within and outside the Council, to achieve some of its objectives. Some are in place already or are in the making, such as the contract with Bath Festivals Trust or the proposed creation of a Leisure Partnership. The Council's prime role will be one of community leadership and facilitation.

6.4 Neither the Council, nor individual cultural institutions in the district, have either the critical mass or the resources to deliver the LCS. It is therefore recommended that the Council initiate the creation of a Local Cultural Partnership for Bath & North East Somerset, involving key business, media, cultural, academic and voluntary sector institutions to act as an agent for change, development and fund-raising.

7. THE NEXT STEPS

7.1 Cultural services officer group: the Culture & Leisure Time Best Value Review and the Cultural Strategy working groups were almost co-terminus. As a matter of good practice and to implement one of the Best Value recommendations, these groups have combined will continue to meet with the Executive Member (Tourism, Leisure & Culture) to implement the cross-cutting actions included in the Best Value Action Plan. If the Council adopts the LCS, three additional areas of work will be undertaken during 2003.

7.2 Local Cultural Partnership: with the Executive Member (Tourism, Leisure & Culture), officers will begin the process of establishing a strategic local partnership

7.3 Quick wins / ongoing measures: elements of the LCS that can be implemented quickly at no cost or within existing resources will be identified and a programme of such measures will be drawn up for consideration by the Executive Member (Tourism, Leisure & Culture).

7.4 Prioritised project costing: projects identified as desirable through the consultation process will be assessed for their feasibility and a limited number will be selected and costed in greater detail for consideration by the Council Executive.

8. CONSULTATION

8.1 The draft LCS was widely promoted as available for consultation and circulated to a wide range of individuals and organisations within and beyond Bath & North East Somerset. 32 responses were received and evaluated, with the most significant themes being incorporated into the LCS.

8.2 The draft LCS was also considered by the Education, Youth, Culture & Leisure Overview & Scrutiny Panel and its comments also taken on board.

8.3 The draft LCS received many commendations for its vision, among the most significant coming from the Government Office for the South West, Public Art South West and the South West Museums Libraries & Archives Council.

8.4 Press coverage was almost exclusively local, as would be expected. The main elements were a large illustrated feature and positive editorial in the Bath Chronicle as well as some letters.