Local democracy

Agenda item

A NEW TEN-YEAR CULTURAL STRATEGY FOR THE DISTRICT

Culture will make a significant and sustainable contribution to the future prosperity of our District as we recover and strive to level up.

 

In September 2019, the Executive supported a package of strategic investments in culture, one of which was to request that the independent Bradford Cultural Place Partnership lead on the creation of a new sector and community-led 10-year cultural strategy for the district.

 

The report of the Strategic Director of Place (Document “DO”) brings the outcome of this work back to Bradford Council and recommends that the Executive approves the vision, ambitions and practice of Culture is Our Plan to replace its existing cultural strategy.

 

Recommended -

 

(1)       That Executive acknowledges the work of the Cultural Place Partnership and the cultural sector across the district in developing Culture is our Plan

 

(2)       That Executive approves Culture is our Plan as the new ten-year cultural strategy for Bradford District and encourages its wider adoption by partners across the District.

 

Regeneration & Environment Overview & Scrutiny Committee)

                                                (Nicola Greenan - 01274 431301)

 

Minutes:

 

 

In September 2019, the Executive supported a package of strategic investments in culture, one of which was to request that the independent Bradford Cultural Place Partnership lead on the creation of a new sector and community-led 10-year cultural strategy for the district.

 

Culture would make a significant and sustainable contribution to the future prosperity of our District as we recover and strive to level up.

 

The report of the Strategic Director of Place (Document “DO”) brought the outcome of this work back to Bradford Council and recommended that the Executive approve the vision, ambitions and practice of Culture is Our Plan to replace its existing cultural strategy.  It was emphasised that it was essential that the strategy was agile and reflected the cultural differences of the district.  

 

The Creative Director of Kala Sangam and Chair of Cultural Voice Forum attended the meeting and advised members that the views and ideas of the district’s cultural sector were at the heart of the development of the strategy.  It was noted that the strategy set ambitious goals and would deliver real change to people across the district and change the makeup of the cultural sector to reflect the diversity of the district.

 

The Chair of Ilkley Manor House Trust and Ilkley Arts attended the meeting and welcomed the opportunity for Ilkley to play an active role in the short, focussed consultation.  There had been a strong encouragement for cultural partnerships to work in a more collaborative way; to make better use of resources and to develop a broader use of provision leaning from others.  It was noted that the Ilkley cultural co-operative had come together productively and creatively as an informal group during the Covid pandemic and was made up of a number of cultural and heritage organisations.  The group was used as a platform for the consultation and it was hoped would be a platform for the roll out of the strategy and the City of Culture bid.

 

The  Chair of Bradford bid to be UK City of Culture attended the meeting and emphasised the need to have a cultural strategy to support the City of Culture bid.  Having a strategic plan enabled partners to access regional and national funding.  The Covid pandemic, Black Lives Matter movement and the climate emergency had highlighted the need for a strategy and a plan.  The City of Culture designation would give the district a significant national and international platform and forge new national and international links and cultural opportunities.

 

The Healthy People and Places Portfolio Holder thanked officers and partners for their contributions to the strategy and noted the positive benefits of culture for the district in the current lock down.  She noted the vibrant, dynamic and energised cultural sector in the district.  She added that the strategy played an important role in creating job and skills opportunities.  She commented on the health benefits improving mental health and as a consequence physical health.

 

The Leader of the Opposition group welcomed the strategy.  She added that the plan and the desire to encourage more people to visit the district should be borne in mind when making other decisions such as closing public toilets and visitor information centres.  She referred to the need to ensure that groups communicated with one another and that support was provided for organisations when they opened up after lock down.

 

The Leader responded that she would welcome the Leader of the Opposition’s involvement in the drafting of the Destination Management Plan.

 

The Regeneration, Transport and Planning Portfolio Holder noted that culture was important to economic growth and a key part of the district’s Economic Recovery Plan.  He stressed the significance of the value of the creative industry to providing jobs. He noted that it would be necessary to integrate how to engage and support culture, in reshaping of cities and towns in the future.

 

Resolved -

 

(1)       That the work of the Cultural Place Partnership and the cultural sector across the district in developing Culture is our Plan be acknowledged.

 

(2)       That Culture is our Plan be approved as the new ten-year cultural strategy for Bradford District and its wider adoption by partners across the District be encouraged.

 

Regeneration & Environment Overview & Scrutiny Committee

ACTION: Strategic Director of Place

Supporting documents: