Agenda item

The Chairman welcomed the Head of Leisure and Cultural Services to the meeting and thanked him for briefing the Board on this item in the absence of the Arts Development and Special Events Officer.

The document before Members was the first draft of the Council’s Arts and Events Strategy.  The Head of Leisure and Cultural Services explained that the aim of the document was to build on the original Arts Strategy, which expired this year.  The emphasis of the Strategy had moved away from solely Arts, to incorporate events.  This was due to the Arts Development Team having moved away from Arts in its purest sense and moved towards community events, such as street theatre and bandstands.  The Head of Leisure and Cultural Services informed Members that there was a county wide Arts Strategy which had been delayed several times for reasons outside the Council’s control.  The County Arts Strategy was now out for public consultation and from the Council’s perspective several points had been made, most importantly that the Council intended to produce its own Strategy to fit with the County Strategy. 

The aim of the Arts and Events Strategy was to include the objectives and priorities of the Council in order to reflect the local issues and communities across the Bromsgrove district.  One of the Council’s main concerns with the County Strategy was the level at which it was pitched.  Some of the wording implied that the County Strategy would take precedence over local strategies and the bigger corporate county picture was more important than that of the local community.  The Head of Leisure and Cultural Services was of the view that the delivery of local arts projects and events should be directed by the Council’s own strategy to suit local needs, but if the Council could draw linkages and support in respect of the County Strategy and overall national indicators it would do so.  However, the overall objectives and priorities must be set locally by the Council.

The Head of Leisure and Cultural Services informed Members that National Indicator, NI11 was used to measure performance and included in the Place Survey.  Members commented that it would be helpful to include a more detailed explanation as to the relevance of NI11.  The Head of Leisure and Cultural Services advised that other more challenging targets, in order to start to measure progress during the life of the Strategy, would also be added.  The Head of Leisure and Cultural Services reminded Members that the Strategy was not the action plan, its purpose was to set the overall direction and outcomes for what the Council was trying to achieve, and it was underpinned by other documents such as, the annual work programme, leisure and cultural services business plan and the arts development team action plan.

Members made the following comments on the Arts and Events Strategy:

• Bromsgrove Festival should be included in the list of events.
• Reference should be made to sponsorship and partnerships with local businesses.
• Inclusion of a section on promotion and communication to take account of the need to improve resident satisfaction with services.
• A positive policy involving social inclusion of minorities in order to involve as many people as possible in the Arts.
• Inclusion of further national indicators and local indicators that the Strategy could relate to
• Review representation of Parish Councils on Arts Alive Partnership

Members noted that the Council had hosted the 3rd Anniversary of Bromsgrove Arts Alive!  and enquired whether a 4th Anniversary event had been held in 2010.  The Head of Leisure and Cultural Services agreed to make further enquiries and report back to Members.

The Head of Leisure and Cultural Services informed Members that the next stage would be to complete work on the Strategy.  It would then go out for consultation to the Arts Alive Partnership and other partner organisations the Council worked with for their comments and finally, through the Portfolio Holder for endorsement at Cabinet in June 2010.  The intention was to take the County and local Strategies together and in order for Members to see the relevance between the two documents.  If the County Strategy was delayed further, this would have a knock on effect.

RESOLVED that the Head of Leisure and Cultural Services takes on board the comments made by the Scrutiny Board in respect of the drafts Arts and Events Strategy 2010-2013.